Marketplace of Ideas-- day 7

Today in class, I finished my bibliography. I also went through my powerpoint and presentation. I plan on working on my presentation more today and tomorrow as my presentation is on Wed.

The Marketplace of Ideas--day 6

Instead of making a tri-fold poster, I decided to make a PowerPoint. Yesterday when I was researching, I came a cross a short trailer that captures the essence of the documentary film, Bullied. It is a very powerful and moving message and I feel that it can stimulate a good conversation of the topic. I plan to show this video in addition to bullying statistics, effects of bullying, and anti-bullying efforts through a power point. At the marketplace of ideas, there will also be the petition that Michelle and I made. The petition says "I will pledge to... Be aware of my action and how they will affect other people. Understand that bullying is a serious and relvant issue and the only way to stop it is by being informed and educated about the issue. Prevent bullying by treating others thet way I want to be treated and by standing up for people who are being bullied by others.  Today in class, I started to get signatures and worked on my PowerPoint. I also hung up some of the fliers for the publicity campaign.

The Marketplace of Ideas-- day 5

Today in class, I made the campaign flier  for the publicity campaign. It has to be approved and then Michelle and I will hang all the signs throughout the school. I also started to plan my idea to present the information at the Marketplace of Ideas. I am going to use a tri-fold poster in order to display the most significant information about bullying. In addition, Michelle and I are are going to start making a petition so that people will start recognizing the issue of bullying.

The Marketplace of Ideas- day 4

Today, I continued my research and found very interesting graphs, tables, and statistics. In addition, I found a case study about Phoebe Prince which I had heard of before. After finishing up my last source for the day, I felt like I had a good understanding of bullying. While there are so many different aspects to bullying, I found the information that was most important and meaningful to me. Furthermore, I plan to start my abstract tomorrow. If I start writing and feel like I am missing something to my research, I will look for my sources to add.

Bullying-- source #10

I thought it would be important for my research to include several different statistics in order to get a feel of how many people are actually victims of bullying.

• 1/3 teens reported being bullied while at school
•  20 percent of teens had been made fun of by a bully
• 18 percent of teens had rumors or gossip spread about them
• 11 percent were physically bullied, such as being shoved, tripped, or spit on, 6 percent were threatened
• 5 percent were excluded from activities they wanted to participate in, 4 percent were coerced into something they did not want to do, and 4 percent had their personal belongings destroyed by bullies
• 8 percent of teens in this study reported being the victims of cyber bullying
• Most bullying occurred inside the school, with smaller numbers of bullying incidents occurring outside on the school grounds, on the school bus, or on the way to school
• Only about a third of bully victims reported the bullying to someone at school
• About 2 of every 3 bully victims were bullied once or twice during the school year, 1 in 5 were bullied once or twice a month, and about 1 in 10 were bullied daily or several times a week

Bullying-- source #9

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010153274&mode=view

I'm sure we all remember the phrase, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." While it made sense at the first time we learned about it, it has become especially clear how this idea is not true. In this audio, Scott Meech, a computer and technology teacher at Plano Middle School, talks about the rise of cyber-bullying which has been used to bully others. It has become so prevalent in all of America and he asserts that this form of bullying is worse than physical bullying. His explanation is simple.  This form of harassment is worse because the victim is seen by larger audience and are long term. Embarrassing pictures or videos are spread through the school quickly and for people who receive them, they can look at the media as often as they like.  Victims of cyber-bullying have no way to hide from it because it spreads through all of technology which is how teens communicate. There is no refuge from harassment. The long-term impact of this type of bullying is greater than traditional, physical bullying.  In addition to pictures and videos being spread to a large audience in a matter of seconds, the largest long-term effect is the loss of a the home as an escape to bullying. When a person is physically bullied, they know they can go home and the bullying will be done. However, with cyber-bullying it enters into the home and is always with the victim. As USA Today reporter Greg Toppo writes, "Vulnerable children have virtually no refuge from harassment. It's a non-stop type of harassment and it creates a sense of helplessness." Bullies use this to traumatize their victims even more. An important concept to understand is that technology cannot be taken away from kids to avoid bullying. It is a part of their everyday life from school work and research to listening to music. While people may blame social networking sites for the problem, it has to be recognized that the technology is harmless but it is the manner in which students are using it which is such a problem.

Bullying-- source #8

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=GALE%7CAAA000030847&documentId=GALE%7CPC3010999030&mode=view

Although bullying has existed for such a long period of time, the results of bullying used to be limited to name-calling and teasing and little fights. However, in the past few years, school bullying has become more prevalent and an issue to be concerned about. Bullied students, instead of standing up for themselves or seeking help, they have turned to violence as a solution. Violence involving suicide or through deadly crimes against their peers.Because of the high-profile cases, children, educators, and law enforcement authorities have become more involved with bullying. They are learning more about the terrible short and long term effects of bullying. Up until researching in the past few days about bullying, I assumed that all victims of bullying were of the same nature. However, this is not necessarily true. In fact, victims can range from students who are not in a well-known social group at school to students who suffer from health or learning disabilities. Furthermore, bullying can begin due to relationship conflict such as jealousy. For instance, Phoebe Prince became the victim of bullying at her new high school ins Massachusetts after moving to the U.S. from Ireland in 2009. Initially, she seemed to be adjusting quite well as she had dated two different boys from her new school. However, this in turn, resulted in other girls bullying her. In addition to one girl who had previously dated one of the boys, her female friends also gained up against Phoebe. Although the school administrators suspended at least one girl for the bullying against her, they did very little to stop it. They did not check in with her or make a big effort to make sure she was okay. In 2010, Phoebe could not stand any more of the suffering and therefore, committed suicide by hanging herself. This is such a tragic story not just because she was so young and a had a great life in front of her, but rather because such a tragedy could have been avoided. If school administrators would have spent more time with Phoebe, even if it was once every week, she would have felt like she had a support system. She lacked people to confide in and felt that the only way the threats and harassment would end was by ending her life.

Bullying-- Source #7

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2005020400&type=hitlist&num=0



When I first came across this soure, it appeared to be more of the same information that I have been finding. However, when I scrolled to the bottom of the site, I noticed the timeline of bullying. I feel that this shows the progression of bullying; it used to be a non-issue as no one really talked about it. Towards the more recent years of the timeline, there has been more focus on bullying.

Before 1970	Researchers pay little attention to bullying
1970s-1980s	School bullying remains a low-key issue, although a sprinkling of journal articles discuss the problem. Norwegian school and government officials begin addressing the problem of bullying in schools, but officials in England and the United States begin to focus on the issue only late in the decade.
1978	Norwegian psychology Professor Dan Olweus, widely considered the father of social science research on bullying, publishes the English edition of Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping.
1982	After three unrelated suicides by children in Norway, a Nationwide Campaign Against Bullying is begun in all of the country's 3,500 schools.
1990-2000	A string of schoolyard massacres in the United States — many committed by victims of bullies — prompts scientists, law enforcement and government officials to study the causes and negative effects of bullying.
1993	Olweus publishes his landmark work, Bullying: What We Know and What We Can Do About It.
Feb. 2, 1996	Barry Loukaitis, 14, kills two students and a teacher in Moses Lake, Wash., later telling officials he was tired of being called a “faggot.”
Feb. 19, 1997	Evan Ramsey, 16, kills his principal and another student in Bethel, Alaska, later complaining that school officials had failed to stop the bullying he was encountering at school.
Oct. 1, 1997	Luke Woodham, 16, kills two classmates and wounds seven in Pearl, Miss., after passing a note to friends stating “I killed because people like me are mistreated every day . . . . Push us and we will push back.”
Dec. 1, 1997	Michael Carneal, 14, kills three students and injures five others at his West Paducah, Ky., high school. He later says he felt that going to prison would be better than continuing to endure the bullying he was subjected to in school.
Dec. 15, 1997	Joseph Colt Todd, 14, shoots and wounds two students at his Stamps, Ark., high school, later complaining that he was tired of being bullied.
April 20, 1999	Columbine High School students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris shoot and kill a teacher and 12 students at their Littleton, Colo., school and then turn their guns on themselves; 23 students are wounded. The 18-year-old shooters had been favorite targets of bullies.
2000-Present	Schools across the United States adopt anti-bullying programs; the number of bullying incidents in some districts reportedly decreases by more than 20 percent. At least 16 state legislatures pass legislation requiring schools to adopt anti-bullying programs.
May 2002	A study of school shooters by the U.S. Secret Service and U. S. Department of Education reveals that in two-thirds of 37 school shootings over the last 25 years the attackers had felt “bullied, persecuted, or injured by others” before the attack.
2004	Parents in Kansas and Connecticut sue their children's schools and school districts for failing to protect students from being bullied despite repeated complaints from the families. Parents in Virginia sue the alleged bullies of their child.
February 2005	Responding to a television report on widespread school bullying, the Indiana Senate is expected to pass a bill calling for statewide anti-bullying programs in schools.

Ninteen Minutes entry 6

The ending of Nineteen Minutes presents a twist. In the final stages of the trial, Josie admits that she was the one who shot Matt the first time after the gun fell out of Peter's bag. While it is not this shot that kills Matt, it is Peter who later fires the deadly second shot. Throughout the novel, Josie never tells the entire story of what she knew from the shooting. She always says "I can't remeber." However, it is clear at the end of the novel, that it was that she did not want to remember.  She is carrying so much emotional guilt and pain that she tries to avoid the topic at all costs. She reflects upon happy and difficult, abusive moments with Matt. Not once, however, does she admit to shooting Matt. Because she finally tells the truth, she recieves a sentence and Peter's sentence is reduced. While she will have this on her record, she is released from keeping a lie that has been tearing her apart.

Nineteen Minutes entry 5

Josie's relationship with her single mother Alex is a really important area of the novel. Flashbacks from before the shooting reveal the tough relationship between Josie and Alex. A large result of their strained relationship is Alex's inability to be both a judge and a mother. Alex recognizes this dilemma she faces between her personal and professional life, but tries to continue living her life and telling herself that it is okay. She reassures herself that she is doing the best she can as a mother when she tries to prepare breakfast or talk to Josie. However, it is clear to both Alex and Josie that there relationship was in no perfect condition. I think that our relationships with our family, our parents, are so important because they allow us to see situations from another perspective. Because Josie and Alex rarely see eye to eye, they find themselves in awkward situations. Before the shooting, this type of relationship seemed to be okay. However, it is when something terrible strikes, that causes them to become closer. It is sad to think that their relationship would have always been this poor if it had not been for a tragedy. However, when we are suffering, the worst type of suffering is when we suffer alone. If they would have stayed their separate paths, Josie would have kept all of her emotions inside. Alex and Josie's relationship was still incomplete, but they tried to make it better. The tragedy allowed Josie to become a stronger person and be able to admit her sadness and fears. I think one of the saddest parts of the novel is that despite their recent coming together as mother and daughter, Josie still feels to lie. Instead of telling her mom that she was going to visit Matt's grave, she tells her that she is tutoring middle and elementary school kids in math. Josie should be able to tell her mother anything, but she does not feel comfortable doing so. However, as I re-read this passage now, I can see that there is a great deal of strength within Josie. The reason she goes to the cemetery is to reflect in silence. She feels no pressure from anyone else, she hears no voices, but her own. While she is not honest with her mom, she is being honest with herself at the grave.

Ninteen Minutes entry 4

Between each of the major chapters, there are small passages with important meanings and ideas that lead into the upcoming chapter. One of the ideas that has stayed with me is the idea of self-perception. The passage reads "To be truly popular, it has to look like it's something you are, when it reality, it's what you make yourself" (240). This novel illuminates how so many teens are expected to behave in a certain way. In order to gain social approval, teens feel the need to change everything about themselves in order to conform, to develop strong social bonds. Josie, without a doubt, has certain expectations that she has to maintain. She feels the need to conform in order to be popular so will do anything to change herself and act in a way to be labeled "popular." Being popular and maintaining a high social status becomes especially important to her in high school. This drives her to completely lose sight of everything important in her life. Before high school and having Matt as a boyfriend, she has no problem spending time with Peter. She comforts him and while she may not fully admit it, she enjoys being together. While she is aware that others think he is weird and corky, this does not prevent her from doing what she feels is right. She may not be considered popular at the time, but she is comfortable in her own skin. However, it is in high school when she notices that everyone around her is judging her. Therefore, while she is perfectly content before, she turns to rewire her brain to be have in a specific way. Josie feels a great deal of pressure- she has never seen the importance of being popular. However, now she has to convince herself and the people around her that she is comfortable with herself, walking her own path. Although she is not happy, she has to convince others that she is loving her life. This is no easy role to fill and this affects her emotionally.

Nineteen Minutes entry 3

Right after the shooting took place, the shooter was identified as Peter. Lacy Houghton, Peter's mother was of course, in disgust, in shock, wondering what could she have done to prevent this from happending. As a mother, her natural instict is to find her son. To make sure he is okay. She finds a way to think past what terrible crime Peter has committed in order to look out for the welfare of him. She calls an attorney who agrees to take on the case. Jordan has no idea what to expect, but knows that he has gotten himself into a long process. When they meet for the first time, Peter is in jail. While Jordan expects to find Peter quiet and terrifed, the opposite is true. Peter treats Jordan just as any other teenage  boy would. He questions why he is in jail which is shocking to Jordan. Jordan responds "What do you mean?" (133). Peter bursts out that he is the victim. The people around them caused him to act in such a terrible way and yet,  he is being punished. He cannot wrap his head around the fact that what he did was terrible. The bullying and isolation causes Peter to always feel in danger and at caution. He feels no security at school and his initial reaction to being forced into jail proves that he feels by killing the people at his school, he has done nothing wrong. For once, he feels a sense of control and power. People were afraid of him and this is something that Peter has never felt before. Futhermore, Peter does not feel remorse and considers himself a victim. I find this concept to be so startling, but at the same time, the extent to which Peter is bullied his entire life has turned him to feel and act in such a manner.

Nineteen Minutes entry 2

One of the chapters that had a genuine impact on me came around half way through the book. It brought the reader back to gym class back at Sterling High before any of the shooting took place. Coach Spears had chosen Drew Girard and Matt Royston to be team captains; this was no surprise to Peter because they were varsity athletes. Of course, this irritated Peter as he expected to be the last one called. Meanwhile, the coach told the class to "look alive" as the captains picked players; the names began to get called out and eventually it was Peter along with his friend Derek and a student with aggression issues who were last. It is Matt's turn to pick a player and he replies "I'll take the homo." (228). This of course is referring to Peter. This is so troubling to me not just because Matt said this, but rather that Spears said nothing to Matt. In fact, all he said was "Let's play" (228). It is completely ridiculous to me that students such as Peter, were bullied throughout their high school experiences and no teacher tried to stop it. It is evident that the Coach had heard what Matt had said and deliberately ignored him. Bullying will never end if the teachers, the people who are supposed to look out for us, do nothing. There were so many people who had the opportunity to stand up for Peter, yet they did nothing at all. While Josie had Peter's back for several years, she was not a loyal friend in high school as she allowed her friends and boyfriend, Matt pick on Peter constantly. When people see bullying and do not do anything, I believe they are just as guilty as the person doing the bullying because they are condoning the behavior.

The Marketplace of Ideas- day 3

Today in class, I was able to research and find additional sources to blog about.  While I expected that I would find a lot of general information on bullying that all gets to the same statistics, details, and themes, I have found that there is so much on bullying. While my main focus is bullying in the school atmosphere, I also learned about school in the workplace. Bullying occurs everywhere and affects so many different people. I am starting to realize how big of an issue bullying it is. It is troubling to learn this, but important because I am hoping to spread a message that bullying must be recognized. It cannot be avoided, we must face it.

Bullying-- source #6

http://issues.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/913445?sid=971097&cid=70&useConcept=False

I also found this source from the same subscription database as source #5.  The article discussed school violence. In the recent years, parents of students have been concerned because of the high profile violent bullying cases. In an effort to avoid any violence at all, there have been several changes in school policies. First of all, there is a zero tolerance policy on all weapons at schools. If any student is found carrying a weapon on school property, they will be expelled. There has also been evidence that reveals that bullying is related to several incidents of violence at school. The site shared that research has concluded that bullying is a cause of some of the recent examples of school violence. The United States Secret Service created a "profile" of school shooters and found that around 2/3 of the shooters have been victims of bullying. This link between bullying and violence allowed school administrators to identify the nature and degree of bullying at their schools, ultimately to create anti-bullying programs.  While it is unclear whether or not any of these efforts will help reduce violence, it is significant that they are making an effort to help school be a safe place for everyone.

 

Bullying-- source #5

http://bullyonline.org/

After reading about Tim Field in my previous source, I went to the website he created that was mentioned in the article. This website opened my eyes to bullying in the workplace.  In order to minimize stress, the site suggested identifying possible problems by discussing who could be harmed and how, evaluating the risk, recording any problems, and reviewing the status of the situation regularly. This will help promote a safer, stress-free workplace.  Another aspect to the website helped me to understand the difference between harassment and discrimination. While harassment and discrimination is focused on gender, race or disability, bullying is often on ability to perform certain tasks, or the lack of competence. While the target of bullying may be capable of everything, the bully is constantly trying to impose their own social, interpersonal, and professional inadequacy onto their target. Furthermore, "The purpose of projection is to avoid facing up to that inadequacy and doing something about it, and - mainly - to distract and divert attention away from the bully's inadequacies, shortcomings and failings." The main point is the idea that bullying is the source of all harassment, discrimination, abuse, conflict, and violence. However, there must be separate policies because their are different tactics and aspects that must be addressed.

Bullying-- source #4

"Tim Field." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.

This article comes from the subscription database- Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. The article focuses on Tim Field, a graduate from Staffordhsire University who landed a computer programming job. Here, he began to experience a great deal of bullying which led him to a deep and difficult depression. After he made it through his depression, he started researching bullying. In addition to dealing with his own experience of being bullied, he tried to understand bullying on many different levels. In addition to establishing a bullying advice line, he established a website known as Bully Online which keeps track of bullying news, cases, resources, and policy development. He also established Success Unlimited, a publishing company targeting bullying matters; with this company, he was able to publish his books Bully in Sight and Bullycide with Neil Marr. Most significantly, he started the Field Foundation in 2002. the goal of the foundation is to assure and empower those who suffer from bullying. The focus of the organization is to work for a "world free of bullying through the development of insight and understanding of the human propensity for violence and violational interaction." Futhermore, it aims to help all of us become better people, to understand how bullying deeply affects everyone.  While he died five years ago, his work remainds important in all fields of bullying.

The Marketplace of Ideas- day 2

Today, I spent all of class blogging about the three sources that I have found so far. While I assumed these entries would be useless, they serve as a way for me to put all my information and research into my own words that I can later look back and use in my abstract paper. Furthermore, by writing these entries on the sources, I feel more familiar with my topic and information. I have a good understanding of what I have found and what information I still need to look into.

Bullying-- source #3/ #1 entry for independent reading book

For this semester, I chose to read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. This book had such a powerful influence on me and one of the primary reasons I decided to research bullying was in order to incorporate some of the same themes into my marketplace of ideas project. The novel is about the aftermath of a school shooting that took place at Sterling High School. The beginning of the novel starts with the shooting that occurs and takes the reader through the series of events leading up to the shooting, the shooting itself, and the trial. At a first glance, one may look at the shooter of the massacre and assume the absolute worst. Yet as the novel unfolds, it becomes clear that the shooter, Peter Houghton was a victim of himself, of bullying. The bullying started on the first day of kindergarten when he got on the bus. Instantly, he was tripped as he walked down the aisle and his new Superman lunch box throne onto the highway. This bullying continued up to the shooting when he suffered public humiliation after his romantic interest in a classmate, Josie Cormier was revealed. Because Peter is bullied, he tries to escape this reality by turning his aggression into video games. He in fact, creates a game in which he can shoot people in a school. Peter lives such a difficult life as his once friend, Josie no longer stands up for him. He is constantly suffering and reasons that he committed such a terrible deed because the people caused him to be the way he became. Furthermore, a psychologist reasons that Peter was suffering from PTSD due to the bullying that constantly took place. During the shooting, the doctor testified that he was going in an out of a dissociative state, which prevented him from thinking logically. Nevertheless, Peter is convicted of eight counts of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder and is sentenced to life in prison. There is no doubt in my mind that bullying drove Peter to commit such a deviant act.

Bullying-- source #2

http://www.jaredstory.com/bullystories.html

I came across this website and was struck by the immediate cycle of bullying that it presents. Bullying-->depression-->suicide. This cycle hit hard for the family of Jared Benjamin High's family.  Jared committed suicide at the age of thirteen. He developed depression as a result from bullying at school in addition to an attack by a bully in school. Jared developed depression because of the people around him- the harm they caused on him.  While the website itself presents a grief project, there are many stories about Jared, conducted researched about bullying, depression, suicide prevention and advice to help those who have been through bullying, depression, or a loss due to suicide. On the website, there was video from E! network that was aired April 21, 2010 regarding Jared's story and an investigation of bullying. When Jared was beaten up at the baseball field, the bully and him were both suspended for three days. The administrators considered the incident a fight. After the fight, Jared showed signs of depression; he lost all of his energy and motivation for school. His family immediately noticed this change and tried to talk some sense into him. One afternoon, Jared killed himself in his house. This terrible outcome could have been avoided if the bullying did not exist and if the incident with the physical assault was handled differently.  

Bullying-- source #1

http://www.tolerance.org/bullied

When I decided to research bullying, I looked through my notebook where I was reminded of the documentary film we watched that shows one student's journey through bullying which is called Bullied. I found the quick quiz we did regarding facts and myths about bullying and then realized that there is an entire site dedicated to not only the documentary film, but also bullying in general. I learned that the purpose of Bullied is to assist teachers and counselors to create a safer school atmosphere for all students. While the student in the film, Jamie, is bullied due to his sexual orientation, the film is to help everyone. Students who view the film must realize the terrible effects that bullying can have on people as well as the importance of standing up for classmates who are being teased.  After being reminded of the film's intended purposes, I found a great deal of information about bullying in general. The viewers guide of the film said that "Bullying happens when someone is subjected to negative actions from one or more people and has a hard time defending himself or herself." Furthermore, bullying can come in several forms, such as teasing, mocking or verbal abuse, punching, pushing or physical abuse, spreading false information,  excluding a particular person from a group and going against a person. I also learned that nearly one-third of American teens are involved in bullying; whether a person is bullying or being bullied, this is a troubling number to me. At DHS, I have not witnessed serious physical or verbal abuse, yet there is no doubt in my mind that it exists and is taking a toll on students everyday. Just as shocking as this statistic is that only 10-20% people who try to help the students who are being bullying. Although I have not seen serious bullying occur at DHS, when I think of bullying occurring right in front of me, I cannot help but think I would feel empathy and would want to do something to make it step.  T.C. Largaespada, a social worker at youth shelter, said “I’ve often wondered about the kids who watched [the bullying] happen—why they didn’t say anything, how they felt about what was going on?” This quote resonated me because it just makes me frustrated and upset that people do not want to help out peers who are being bullying. Although I do not witness a great deal of bullying, it is clear that bullying exists. Therefore, we must find ways to stop it, to make school a safer place. The viewer handbook provides action steps for educators to take in order to stop bullying.  If we see or hear any trace of bullying taking place, we must stop the bullying instantly, and additionally, offer guidance to any peers on how to intervene rightfully. If we see or learn a series of bullying occurring, it is important for the staff of school to discuss the behavior and agree on a course of action.  These small actions can help to make school a safer and happier place for everyone.

The Marketplace of Ideas- day 1

Today in class, I decided that I want to look at bullying. I started to put together an outline of the different aspects I would like to examine. At this point, I would like to narrow my research into three different areas. One is bullying as a whole including facts versus myths, statistics, and what it is. Another area I plan to look at is the effects of bullying, more specifically case studies, such as Seung-Hui Cho and excerpts from  Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult in addition to the emotional aspect. The last area I intend on looking at  is anti-bullying efforts. This would be specifically for the markeplace of ideas and the "action item".  Today, I looked at  different information regarding the documentary film, Bullied. In addition to general information about bullying, it provided advice for educators in order to prevent bullying. The last website I came across is one that came into existance after the result of Jared, who committed suicide as a result of being bullying. The website includes his story and others and also posts a video from E that investigates bullying. I plan to view this video tomorrow in class.

Race in America

The issue of race is very prevalent in the United States.  Yet, as a nation, we manage to cover up all of the conflicts that result of the racial disparities. Instead of learning from one another, we judge and our “hidden biases” are ever more apparent. These biases exist because we do not educate people based off of race. One of the articles I read was “Trying not to raise racist kids.” I was immediately drawn to this article because of the title. I thought to myself, is there really a right way to try to raise kids who are accepting of all races? The process of teaching kids not to be racist must be difficult because everyone has their own opinions.  However, it is important to recognize that young adults develop perspectives based off experiences.  One of the ideas that I found to be similar to the articles from Andrew Hacker and Time Wise is that of ignoring the topic of race in general.  The article suggests the importance of being real and truthful with children. Instead of making ignorant comments, parents should not gloss over the racial disparities. Often parents talk in code about race instead of openly discussing race; as a result, these discussions are pointless. Furthermore, when parents do not acknowledge the differences of race, they are giving their children mixed messages. While some may argue that talking about race doesn’t come easily, as Wise and Hacker both mentioned, we do not take the time or effort to talk about race in an open environment.  Another article that I found to be striking was titled “Behind the Scenes: Black and shopping in America.” One black woman recalls herself and two of her friend’s power shopping in a store; they were all dressed professionally, but they ended up being detained for suspicious of shoplifting. Police found no stolen merchandise in the hands of any of the women. However, neither the manager of the store or police even bothered to apologize. This is extremely troubling to me because they did not do anything wrong, yet they were discriminated on the basis of race. This idea connected to one that Wise talked about- getting around the law. Wise was able to avoid many legal problems due to his race and he was actually doing things that were against the law. However, he recognized that if he were a black kid, he would have been in trouble. In this particular circumstance, Wise would argue that if he was in the store with friends, power shopping, he would have never been detained. And if in fact he was, the manager and police would be humiliated.  It is ridiculous to me that racial discrimination still exists to this extent. The solution? While there is no definite answer to solving racial discrimination, all of these articles propose the idea of talking about race openly. Black and white people must talk about the shared history and common bond that everyone shares.  It is time to have an open discussion about race, one that is truthful.  This goes back to the common idea that there are more similarities than differences. Yet, people in today’s society, seem to focus on the differences which results in more problems.

What's going on in the world?

I am very interested in the Wisconsin unions fight that is occurring. I have some background of the events so chose to read an article from “The Opinion Pages” on The New York Times section. It is called “Shock Doctrine, U.S.A” by Paul Krugman. He compares the events that have been occurring as very similar to that of Baghdad in 2003. Madison has been the scene of large protests against the governor’s budget bill. This bill involves denying collective-bargaining rights to public-sector workers. Although Scott Walker, governor, states that he needs to pass the bill in order to deal with the state’s problems, it should be noted that his attacks on unions do not correspond to the budget.  Krugman argues that the events in Wisconsin is a power grab, meaning that they are trying to exploit the fiscal crisis to get rid of the last major counterweight to the political power of corporations and the wealthy. The power grab goes beyond union-busting. The bill that everyone has been arguing about is 144 pages long. There are major pieces of information that are hidden deep; this goes beyond the argument at hand. Walker and his party do not intend on changing any of their goals because Union-busting and privatization remain the priorities. They will do whatever they can in order to sneak in their ideas to various budgets. I also looked at an article from CBS news, “Walker to unveil plan for Wis. budget crunch.” I was shocked that the cuts are projecting to around $3.6B. This is an extremely large number and it is what they are cutting that is troubling. The school districts are being affected greatly. Education is extremely important. Yet, it is being affected in that the class sizes will be larger, teachers are being laid off, and activities are being cut. This is something that the citizens cannot afford to happen because education is the basis to the future.  In a poll that I looked at, the public is against both cutting pay and benefits. The public’s opinion should be considered because they are the ones who live in Wisconsin every day. Their lives will suffer if things do not turn out the way they should be.

Mock Trial Recap

1.       I felt that the result of the case regarding sexual harassment was justified. I feel that while the defendant could have been viewed as a humorous and hardworking man in the bureau, his actions were sexual harassment.  One of the most compelling facts is the fact that the defendant put up racy and inappropriate pictures which clearly affected the welfare of the plaintiff. The pictures were just the half of it; he made disrespectful remarks to the plaintiff. He would playfully flirt and tease with her.  Although they may not have seen as serious to the defendant, the plaintiff clearly stated that she was uncomfortable. Whether or not the defendant agrees that his actions are inappropriate for the work place, he must respect the request. However, he blatantly ignored the plaintiff which was stated in the testimony. He could see that she was suffering and that is why she missed so many days of work. While she was disturbed, she still showed up to work as often as she could.  One of the witnesses that really stood out to me was the head of the bureau. She, in addition to the defendant, ignored the complaints by the plaintiff. This makes her just as guilty as the defendant himself. By not stopping him, she is condoning the sexual harassment behavior. In order for me to reach the opposite outcome, I would have to have been given testimony that the plaintiff engaged with the defendants remarks. She would have had to flirt back or said mixed things. However, this was not the case. She always stayed true to herself by saying no; she was firm and should not have had to deal with the sexual harassment that occurred in the workplace. In the second trial between David Jones and Susan Williams, I disagree with the verdict of non-guilty.  I feel that David Jones raped Ms. Williams because of the simple fact that she said “no.” Their relationship is long, and yes they have been intimate before, but in their most recent relationship, they had been taking it slowly. Mr. Jones was aware that Ms. Williams was not ready to be intimate, but still, he planned everything all along by putting on a condom. Before even discussing the possibility of being intimate, he put on a condom. This comes across as Mr. Jones fully intending on being intimate with her even if she did not want to. Another striking piece of evidence was the torn shirt that appeared to be ripped with a lot of force; she also had bruises along her arm. I feel that the testimony of Lee Streams, the psychologist, proved to be the weakest. His focus has always been on adolescent psychology. Neither Mr. Jones nor Ms. Williams are adolescents and he did not even know Ms. Williams. I feel that his testimony should have been disregarded. Furthermore, Ms. Williams’s testimony was difficult to listen to because she was obviously very distraught. However, it was honest and real. She was raped. In order for me to believe that she was not raped, I would have had to understand more of their relationship and of her leading him on. While she engaged in casually kissing, she did not intend on having sex with Mr. Williams that night. She was not ready; he should have respected her.

2.       People must know that in both sexual assault and sexual harassment, people react differently. We must respect the boundaries of other people. While some people may enjoy flirty comments and touching, others may find it to be extremely offensive. People must be cautious and learn to understand and respect the emotions of other people in order to avoid problems such as these.  I do not think that there is a problem of sexual harassment or sexual assault at DHS. I feel that the majority of guys respect the girls and their feelings. I have never seen any guy be physically or verbally abusive in school. That being said, I also do not look for it that much. If I saw something out of the ordinary I would notice it, but I do not go around analyzing conversations between the guys and girls. Both girls and guys are respected at DHS. The majority of everyone has an extracurricular activity that they are involved in. They work hard and understand the significance of treating others the way they would like to be treated. If sexual harassment or sexual assault was a major problem at DHS, I feel like it would be talked about more. Still, counselors and teachers look out for it and will react accordingly. I definitely feel safe at DHS. Overall, people must be aware of what is going on around them and understand that everyone behaves and reacts in different ways. There is no right way, but everyone should be respected.  

The State of The Union

Although I am not really interested in politics, I really did enjoy watching the 2011 State of the Union address. Obama used several tactics throughout the speech in order to leave an impact on the nation.  He urged Americans to recognize the importance of innovation and reforms in order to keep the United States as leader among the rest of the world. He believes that it is our Sputnik moment;  it is our time to win the future. In order to do so, he pointed out several ordinary people that may have only done small things, but these small actions caused great things to occur. For instance, he recognized a man whose small company was named the "Plan B" in order to rescue the miners.  While they were the back-up plan, they worked tirelessly for days and ultimately, became the plan that was used to rescue the miners. It are the stories like these, typical American companies and corporations that have the potential to greatly influence the rest of the world.  Obama effectively used these stories, in addition to The Wright Brothers and Edison to show how powerful and great America is. The history of our country is successful and today, there are several figures that have risen to the occasion to help recreate America. Obama proved that we are a country of intelligence and composure by reminding us of all the success that has taken place. This was a positive approach because he put faith back into the typical American citizen. However, America is not perfect and he was not afraid of admitting this. He urged the importance of budget cuts, health and education reform in order to get Americans truly back on track. This requires great cuts and change, but he is ready and willing to make the sacrifices. I felt that Obama made a great speech; not only was the content relevant, his leadership skills were reflected. He is firm when he speaks and he makes the average person feel like they should make a difference.  He gives us hope, but also urges us to make a difference.