Social Injustice In TV: 90210

TV SHOW ANALYSIS

The show 90210 is a perfect example of how hollywood portrays how teens should be. The show 90210 is about the drama of a rich elitist high school in Beverly Hills, CA. All the characters in the show are wealthy have stick thin figures and glossed faces.  This picturesque portrayal of how teens are supposed to act and dress corrupts teen’s personalities. By showing teens this perfect world where people ride around in sports cars and wear $5,000 shoes it gives them a standard that they feel they have to achieve or their not ‘cool.’

Another social injustice in 90210 is the racial diversity. In the show there are two leading characters who aren’t white. One of them was adopted into a wealthy white family from a impoverished household. This entertains a stereotype about how people of color have less money and should be pitied.  The other leading person of color in 90210 is a middle eastern boy who has his fortune from his dad’s pornography business. This introduces another stereotype about how people of color can only make a fortune in a sleazy and shady way.

The show 90210 inaccurately portrays teens. Teenage years are defined by a teeen discovering their sexuallity which in reality is a very awkward and confusing period of time. In the show 90210 teens have perfect romantic relationships and every aspect of it is easy for everyone.

Response to News on Social Injustice

News Response

http://en.rsf.org/iraq-areas-controlled-by-islamic-state-23-10-2014,47147.html

The article “AREAS CONTROLLED BY ISLAMIC STATE ARE NEWS “BLACK HOLES” is about how how certain areas in the middle east are now unsafe for reporters to go due to public violence and crime against these reporters. If I were in the role that these noble reporters are in now I would be incredibly frightened because the overwhelming hatred felt towards the reporters in these areas. I would also be frightened because of the possibility that a reporter could be tortured, kidnapped and murdered.

Everyday Social Injustices: Exclusion

Unjust Social Scenes

• Exclusion
• Sexism /Gender Equality
• The use of the word “Gay” in a derogatory way

Expansion On: Exclusion

In my everyday life I see people be excluded from groups of people going on lunch. Another example of how people are excluded is that most social groups consist of people of the same backgrounds. For example, a white kid from Park Slope will most likely be closest friends with another white kid from Park Slope. This is a social injustice because it shows how people don’t feel accepted in all walks of life. It also, serves as a model for the whole world. All over the world when people would immigrate they would most likely be secluded in an environment of people with the same background. For example, In NYC China Town is a region of Manhattan mostly populated by Chinese Americans.  

Article Analysis: "On Rooftops of Ferguson, Volunteers Patrol, With Guns."

Social Justice Article:

Fernandez, Manny, and Alan Blinder. "On Rooftops of Ferguson, Volunteers Patrol, With Guns." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Nov. 2014. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/us/on-rooftops-of-ferguson-volunteers-with-guns.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A17%22%7D

The article "On Rooftops of Ferguson, Volunteers Patrol, With Guns" by Alan Blinder and Manny Fernandez talks about an armed citizen militia in Ferguson, MO that is protecting the city from looters looting and destroying buildings and stores. This is an example of injustice because it shows the use of violence as an excuse for the the horrible tragedy that happened in Ferguson, MO regarding the shooting of Michael Brown. It is an injustice that people believe that because of the unstable state of the town of Ferguson people use that as a reason to loot and burn down buildings. It is also an injustice that people use violence and possibly more fatalities as a solution to an already extremely fatal and bleak environment.

In my own life it makes me think about how physical aggression affects my social life. For example, a kid who verbally is threatening violence is looked up to as this cool stereotypical ‘tough’ guy. This relates to the article because it is talking about an example of a misappropriation physical aggression in society similarly to how kids and teens use physical aggression to create a persona of them.

Interview With Ramona Petrini

To ask the question what are the just and unjust parts of the world I turned to my sister, Ramona Petrini.

Joseph Petrini: What do you think is just and unjust about the world?

Ramona Petrini: What I think  is good about the world is that there are people and plants and animals and all kinds of cool phenomena. Its a small rich place. A small place in a huge esoteric universe, its got a cool paradox thing going. I can’t truly explain what I feel is good about the world.

Joseph Petrini: Specifically socially, what do you think is good or just about the world?

Ramona Petrini: Well socially I like that there is love that exists. Thats good. I like about the world the most is that it exists and that there are people in it that love one another.

Joseph Petrini: What do you think is unjust in the world?

Ramona Petrini: A million and six things.

Joseph Petrini: What about the biggest issues?

Ramona Petrini: Most of our biggest political and social systems are built off of centuries of oppression. Oppression of color, oppression of poor people, oppression of any person that is not on the side of the oppressor. I  am saying that opression plays a huge part in how we build governments and in society. And those pain that come with being oppressed never goes away. Thats a huge problem with the world. And its a problem that we fight, war is a problem. And its a problem that we’re killing the world. That at this point there is very little we can do to reverse climate change if anything at all. We have this planet and this universe that is indifferent to us and we’re like, “ oh lets just trash this planet.” I think those are my issues with the world in a nutshell.

My Response to Ramona Petrini’s Issues

I agree with everything that my sister said about our planet. I think definitely one of the biggest and most pressing issues in our world is what we can do about climate change. It is so disturbing to think about how climate change has progressed to the point where there is no feasible way to completely stop it from destroying it the earth. I also agree that the fact that we fight is one of the biggest issues throughout history and for the future as well. Countries like Switzerland, Sweden, and Iceland who have never had large military presence and have some of the best economies and best education systems, should serve as models for the rest of the world on how you can live in a prosperous nation and not be immensely active in a militaristic way.

A True Story About Changing The World: Margaret Becker

I interviewed my Mom about how she changes the world every day. My Mom, Margaret Becker, a legal aid lawyer who is currently working on the recovery from hurricane sandy.

Joseph Petrini: How do you change the world everyday?

Margaret Becker: I don’t change the world. Everyday.

Joseph Petrini: How do you change the world in general?

Margaret Becker: I change the world in general by caring about everybody. Thats how you change the world. You decide everybody matters, that everybodys important, just as important. And thats how you change the world.

Joseph Petrini: How does changing the world everyday affect you?

Margaret Becker: It makes me feel like my life is worthwhile. And also, its really rewarding. People appreciate it and they tell you that what you did was important to them and made things better for them and that makes you feel good about yourself.

A True Story About Margaret Becker Changing The World

A true story about my mother changing the world is how she cares about everyone of her clients and personally helps solve their problems.  Everyday clients in disastrous situations come in to talk to her and her colleagues to fix their problems. I went to a benefit event to commemorate the one year anniversary of hurricane sandy with my mom. At the event I met some of her clients and the first thing all of them said was what an amazing thing my mom was doing and how much she was changing their lives.

Song Analysis

Junior Murvin- Police and Thieves

Police and thieves in the streets

Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Police and thieves in the streets

Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition

From Genesis to Revelations yeah,

What the next generation will be, hear me

All the crimes committed, day by day

No one tries to stop it in any way

All the peacemakers turned war officers

Hear when I say

Police and thieves in the streets

Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Police and thieves in the streets

Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition

All the crimes committed, day by day

No-one tries to stop it in any way

All the peacemakers turned war officers

Hear when I say

Police and thieves in the streets

Fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

Police and thieves in the streets

Scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition police, police and thieves

Police and thieves,

police, police and thieves

The first stanza and chorus of this song talks about a period of time in Jamaican history in the 1970’s when gangs ran the streets and the police were forced to fight back violently causing the bystanders  to often be caught in the crossfire resulting in many people severely injured or dead. This period of time is very similar to what is going on Detroit right now.

The second stanza of this song talks about how Junior Murvin is calling out to the next generation to make a change for the better about what was going on in Jamaica.

The third stanza of this song talks about how people are committing crimes all over the country but the police aren’t motivated to stop it. It then goes on to talk about how all the peaceful visionaries wanting to make a change in Jamaica have turned into violent “war officers.”

This song is a public plea to the next generation to get them to make a change in the country.

Click here To listen to Police and Theives

Literary Essay on The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time

Literary Essay on The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time

Joseph Petrini

802  

ELA

In the book The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time  by Mark Haddon, a boy named Chris with a disability learns to overcome his fears. The main character Chris has to decide whether or not to leave his old life so he can feel safe or stay with his own world and face his father, who killed the neighbors dog. Christopher doesn't know what to do. His only motivation is himself and his pet rat, because of this he can’t make a weighted decision. The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time brings the idea of interaction being essential to the thriving of a species. This is shown through the hardships of Chris. Chris is confused because he lacks positive human interaction, so he creates distractions that neutralize his fear and confusion.

Chris is a very confused character. For example, one quote that really shows his confusion is, while he is still in shock over what his father did, he starts functioning irregularly. “Mother explained that I was upset because I couldn’t do my maths A level so I hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. Then mother went away and I drew a picture of a bus using perspective so that I didn’t think about the pain in my chest.”(210-211) In this scene the mother tells him that he is so upset that he isn’t following his instincts correctly. Another scene that shows his confusion is, “I had to get out of the house. Father had murdered Wellington. That meant he could murder me, because I couldn’t trust him, even though he said ‘trust me’ ”(122) Christopher second guesses himself in this scene, that shows he doesn't know what to think of his father. Christopher is very unsure character.

Christopher lacks positive connections with other people. For example, when he is running away from home he doesn’t think about leaving anybody behind when he goes to London.  Another example of Christopher's lack of positive connection is when he is leaving to go to London but he only thinks about what to do with his pet rat,Toby, and not about anybody else. “  ‘can’t you take Toby with you?’ ...’Londons a long way and I don’t want to take him because I might lose him’.” This shows how much he loves his pet rat and can interact with it in a human way.  Christopher has an insufficiency of genuine  relationships.

Christopher creates distractions for himself to escape from his

problems. An example of this is, when Christopher is doing math and can’t do it because he is too upset so he feels like just lashing out at someone,”So I took deep breaths like Siobhan said I should do when I felt like I want to hit someone in school and I counted 50 breathes and did cubes of the cardinal numbers as I counted.”(213) In this scene Christopher is really upset so he uses math to distract himself . Another example of Christopher’s distractions is when he is on the train on the way to London to stay with his mother he does puzzles in his head, “it is a good maths problem to do in your head when you want to think of something else because you can make it as complicated as you need to fill your brain”(147) He does complicated puzzles in his head to detract himself from his problems. Christopher will also assume to a new identity to relax himself. For example, “I like Sherlock Holmes and I think that if I were a proper detective he is the kind of detective I would be”(73) In this case Chris escapes to the false identity of  a detective to hide from the shock of Wellington, the dog, being killed. Christopher hides from his problems by making distractions so he doesn’t have to confront them.

   

Christopher is a very confused character. He is confused because he has an absence of positive connections. This brings up the idea of the explicit need for  connection. Mark Haddon shows through this book that people thrive on human empathy and without it you become introverted and withdrawn from your community. Christopher creates distractions for himself so he doesn’t have to make decisions because he is scared of the consequences of a bad decision. Christopher is confused because he lacks the capacity to other people, so he creates distractions that relieve the consequences of his confusion.   

 

Book List

1. After Isaac  by Avra Wing
2. Freedom Riders by Raymond Arsenault
3. Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon
4. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
5. Black Boy by Richard Wright

Ashes Literary Essay

Reading Response to “Ashes”

Joseph Petrini 802

ELA

The short story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer shows the conflicts of an only child facing the issues spurred by divorce. Throughout the story you see the ways that the protagonist, Ashes, is morally wrung out by her unstable relationships with her parents. Ashes’ flawed relationships with her parents accentuates the idea that relationships are complicated.

        Ashes’ mother is an hurt, yet reliable person, this complicates Ashes’ relationship with her mother.  Her mother is more strict than Ashes’ father  but, is a more reliable and responsible parent. For example, when Ashes is describing her mother she says, “With Mom, there are a lot of rainy days and she always takes a grim sort of pleasure in being ready for them. The flashlight with working batteries for a blackout.” In this quote you can see how Ashes’ mother is a reliable and prepared parent. “Mom was always prepared, except for what Dad did to her.” This quote shows how hurt Ashes’ mother was by what her father did. Ashes’ mother is a hurt but reliable parent.

Ashes’ parent’s divorce forced Ashes to choose sides, this revealed the complications of Ashes’ relationship with her father. “ That winter, it felt like every time I saw my father, the sun cast off just a little more warmth than it had the day before.” The way that the author connects a loving warmth to the warmth from the sun shows readers that Ashes loves her father dearly. “  ‘I'm a dreamer,’ he said to me more than once, which really wasn't all that different from what Mom said. ‘He's an irresponsible bum,’ was her way of wording it. I knew he was both.” This quote shows me how Ashes could love her father so much but at the same time understand his flaws. This also shows how Ashes wants the “dreamer” but knows that with that comes the “irresponsible bum.” That showed me how complicated relationships can be.

The short story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer teaches readers that relationships can be complicated. This story also shows how complicated people can be. For example, how much Ashes wants a parent like her father but, she knows that what she really needs is a responsible parent who will keep her safe. The short story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer teaches readers that people, and thus, relationships can be complicated. One of the things that contribute to this is the fact that not everybody reveals everything about themselves because they are scared of how they will be judged. This is very apparent in “Ashes.” Ashes’ father hides how unstable he is because he is scared that might motivate Ashes to leave him. “Ashes” teachers readers how complicated relationships are.

Reading Response to The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat.

       

Response to The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

Joseph Petrini 

802 

ELA

          Over the summer I read the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks. the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat is about cases of people with psychological problems. Many cases are of people having slight tweaks in their brain that cause them to see things wrong or have extreme memory loss. Reading this book made me realize how everything I do and see and feel and touch ect. has to do with connections in my brain being made and how fragile and important those connections are. 

    

          One thing that proved this to me was a story about a man who was suffering from PTSD from WW II. This made his memory very short term. In the story Oliver Sacks leaves the room to get something, comes back and the patient doesn't remember who Oliver Sacks is. This showed me about how important and functional memories are. 

          Another thing that made me think about the vulnerability of the human brain was a story about a woman with Cerebral Palsies. Cerebral Palsies is a condition that impairs muscle coordination  She comes in complaining about how her hands are useless mounds of flesh. Oliver Sacks tries and succeeds to teach her something that most humans learn in the first months of their life, the ability to recognize shapes by feeling them. This showed me how malleable  the human brain is and how instinctive the ability to adapt is even post-pubic. 

          The book The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks is a book that really taught me about the ever-changing neurological output in our lives. It taught me this lesson through collected stories about patients of Oliver Sacks.