Response to Don't Ask, Don't Tell

There are a multitude of further questions brought about when discussing the future of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.  My contention is - who cares?

People keep bringing up issues surrounding housing, education, benefits - and these are all valid issues that will arise with the repeal of DADT.  I do firmly believe, however, that the individuals bringing these issues to the table are doing so as a deterrent or to slow the momentum of the repeal efforts.

At the bottom of it all, none of these issues matter.  This law is HATEFUL.  It takes away human rights to talk about their romantic relationships.  If that silence is what the military believes necessary, then we need to make any discussion by any individual regarding sex or romantic relationships a dischargeable offense - straight or gay. 

Discrimination is never acceptable in any capacity.  The conservative individuals who keep discussing the ramifications of repeal aren't able to look at their own prejudice and accept how inhuman this policy is.  The one that angers me the most is the "safety of the gay soldiers" excuse.  If heterosexual soldiers decided to act out violently and harass an individual of ANY minority, they should receive an immediate dishonorable discharge.

Hate and discrimination are the only "dishonorable" offenses I can see in this issue.

Multi-Genre Blog

I will be creating a book of images, quotes, media, toy ads, tv celebrities and common vernacular that our young girls are receiving from various avenues.  I will be playing music while going the pages of the book.

The idea is for the reader to "step into the shoes" of a typical American girl to see the messages our media and culture are sending her.

Social Class & Wealth Disparities

3 Racial Differences in Wealth Accumulation:
- Racialization of State Policy (state policy has hindered progress and wealth accumulation of black Americans)
- Economic Detour (business opportunities at a low)
- Sedimentation of Racial Inequality (many variables are in place that keep blacks on the bottom of the class system)

Interviewee:
- Kevin is a home-owner.  He is an elderly man who is retired from the working world.

Findings/Themes: 
- The theme of this work seems to be that we limit certain families so very much, and without proper opportunities and funding, we will never be able to help these families and the individuals within them to achieve their goals or surpass their situation and move to the next level in society.

Solution:
- The solution presented within the article is legislation with specific aim toward assisting black families and providing them with the assets necessary to move forward.  I believe this is partially true, but perhaps instead of new, racially-specific laws, we should look to the laws we already have to make them all-inclusive.
___________________________________________________________

My Story:
- I began college right after high school with one goal in mind - getting out of my house.  I studied at ISU for two years before realizing I had no drive and no idea why I was really there.  I took 5 years in the professional world sans degree to realize the importance of a degree, as well as my career goals and aspirations.  I had difficulty relating to the article because I am a returning student of 25.  I guess what I take from it is that not matter how old we are when working toward a degree, we each have our own unique set of challenges and hurdles to overcome on the way there.

Social Class Data Analysis

Josefina grew up in an upper middle class family.  One of the underlying themes of her answers was a desire to keep up with the Jones's, as well as keep up appearances socially.  I do not feel these values were the most prominent, as open communication and patriotism are also mentioned.  I do feel, however, that "keeping up" may be the most relevant issue with relation to social classism.  Being a part of the upper middle class community has its own expectations socially.  I believe a great deal of our classist mentalities stem from social pressures.  These pressures did not seem to have a negative impact on Josefina, as she states she is "thankful everyday for the little things and for every opportunity."

Analysis of SAP Article

This article uses children's literature as data.  They looked for gender biases in many contemporary pieces of literature, and conducted examinations as to how children (in preschool through first grade) viewed ceretain occupations and their typical gender.

The use of a pretest and posttest (post indicates after reading certain classroom reading materials) assisted in guaging the children's response to the literature.  They begin the section with a recap of the data and how it was collected, reitterating terminology that would be used throughout.  There is a chart that the section refers to as a vidual aid, and the organization of the analysis follows the flow of the chart, making it easy to understand.  The themes are that these children are impacted by positive gender literature. 

It shows how fast children learn, and how moldable they are.  This reitterates my point that we have to be overly cautious, because they pick up on everything we say and do.

Differences Between 2 Essays

Brian's essay took his interview data and analyzed it in great detail, tying it into his own voice and thesis.  As informal as I thought the interview data was, he did succeed in formulating a fairly well-constructed essay in the end.

Samantha's essay, while it appeals to the emotions, does not seem to fit the profile for an academic research essay.  While it speaks volumes about the experiences of the Columbine tragedy, the majority of the paper is transcripted dialogue from the interviewee, with one short introduction paragraph, and one short conclusion written by the author.  This is a vastly different type of assignment than what we are working on.

My Social Action Project Progress

I have drafted my surveys questions and began editing my interview questions.  I have scheduled interviews with the two administrators I wish to speak to, and will be conducting those in the weeks to come.

My next step is to send out my surveys and begin organizing the responses.