History Repeats, Once Again

I'm sorry to use the cliche, but it is a cliche for a reason- it is all too true.  History has repeated itself, as it has done before and will do again.  Harry Truman, in 1945, signed a law that integrated the American military. (Read how it happened here) In AIS, we have learned that African Americans have not always been treated equally in America, as the Declaration of Independence depicts they should be in the very first line.  Are "All men created equal"?  Looking at American History, it seems not everyone believed it.  After serving in seperate troops in the Civil War, World War One, and the American Revolution, the black militiamen still did not recieve respect that white soldiers did.  Not until World War Two did the soldiers fight together in integrated batallions.

Now, in the year 2010, more than fifty years later, we again face inequalities in the military.  The GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) communities, by law, are limited in their freedom of speech when in the military.  The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy prevents people from expressing their sexual orientation.  No showing friends pictures of their partner, while others show openly their husbands and wives.  No boyfriend-girlfriend talk.  None of that. 

Thanks to the dedication and insistance of many, though, this law may be ammended.  This week, a California court of law ruled the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law unconstitutional as it limits freedom of speech.  (Click here for the full story from CNN).  This law, in my oppinion, stains the fabric of our country.  I am thankful that its power may be eliminated in the coming weeks. 

Being a strong supporter of equal rights, I looked for a way that I, a single teenager from the suburbs, could impact the national community.  Join me in supporting the repeal of this unfair law.  Sign the petition here so your voice, whether it be straight or gay or a little of both, can be heard.  Thanks, everyone.

Open Your Ears (and eyes, and mouth, and mind, for that matter)

Words, they are long and short, some ending sentences, some starting them, lots in between.  Having taken high school English classes for a few years now, I've learned lots of new words.  Example: torture.  Definition: Wuthering Heights (sorry to all you Heathcliff fans).  Other words too, of course, I already knew.  Example: Human.  Definition:  An animal who communicates via spoken language, generally an omnivore, who produce anywhere from 0-19 children (Michelle Duggar, ahemm).  


After taking English classes that initiate deep thinking and experiencing more of life, my previous definitions do not always hold true.  Example: Human.  New Definition: An animal who is always searching and who has some sort of connection to another human.  To clarify, this is a working definition- I have a lot more books to read and life to live before I can say anything for certain.  The English class I am currently attending, AIS (an integrated English and US History course) has opened my eyes already to new things.


This passed week, we discussed oral history.  We listened to recordings of interviews from people who were effected by the attacks on 9/11/01.  Mr. Bolos referred our class to a few different oral history organizations.  I got very excited when he mentioned StoryCorps, because I was already familiar with it.  For my sophomore English class, I read StoryCorp's compilation of interviews, Listening is an Act of Love.  I could not turn the pages fast enough; I highly recommend it.  Anyways, the reminder in class prompted me to visit the StoryCorps website.


On it, I listened to excerpts of many interviews, with subjects ranging from coming out to one's parents to the emergence of the afro.  One story that impacted me was that of a single father and his son (click here to listen to it).   Colbert became a father at the age of 16, and explained to his son, now almost 16 himself, what it was like to raise a child as a teenager.  


Their conversation made me think about how little we really know about what we as people are capable of.  I myself am just a teenager, and I complain about staying up until midnight and waking up early. Why do I stay up?  Well, after my homework is finished, I usually have dessert, and then I might take a shower, and then I'll go on Facebook, etcetera, etcetera.  I am not burping a baby, or trying to get my GED online, or coming home from a part-time job I hold so I can pay for my family's rent.  Nothing of the sort!   And yet, I complain that my backpack is too heavy, or that I NEED the new shirt at Nordstrom, or that my homework is too demanding.  My excuses and complaints are indeed legitimate and in many cases sincere, but in the grand scheme of things I am pretty darn lucky.


Listening to Colbert and Nathan's story gave me perspective.  No one can possibly know something without something to compare it to. (White is the opposite of black, happy is the opposite of sad, etc.)  The more we listen to each other, the more we learn about ourselves.  Listening to the Williams' story taught me about how lucky I am, and how capable all people are.  I am looking forward to learning more about myself, and helping others learn about themselves in the process.  


Good luck in your verbal adventures! 

Shana Tova

Tonight begins the Jewish New Year, and so I say, Shana Tova! (good year).  I know that, obviously, not everyone is celebrating tonight, and I thank those that accept the fact that I am celebrating.  I come from an interfaith home, and that too, I value.  That acceptance, tolerance, is not something I do not take for granted.  I truly thank you; please know that I also support your right to worship as you please.

Recent news tells of a not-so-tolerant church in Florida.  Refer to CNN's coverage for background info (I found 1:47 particularly interesting.  All lives?  Really?).  As I said, I think of myself as a pretty tolerant person.  One thing I do not tolerate, though, is arrogance.  This particular church, the Dove World Outreach Center, has expressed views I strongly disagree with.  Honestly, I cannot present this information without a strong opposing bias.  They preach tolerance, and yet seem to, and I say "seem" because I have never been to this church or been in the shoes of the members, be very intolerant of Muslim people.

On September 11, the 9 year anniversary of the World Trade Center disaster, this church plans to burn the Koran, the Muslim holy book.  Yes, the event was tragic.  Yes, we are continuing to remember this tragic event.  No, dwelling on the past will not solve anything.  

Everyone has the right to practice what they believe, as says the first amendment of the American Constitution.  The Declaration of Independence protects the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Liberty, as defined by Oxford American Dictionaries, is "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views."  With this in mind, the government cannot stop the Dove World Outreach Center from burning the Koran or posting an insulting website, yet the center cannot silence Muslim people from doing as they chose.  

In this situation, no one wins.  In any hateful situation, I believe, no one will win.  To boil down a very complicated moral scenario,  "someone will get their feelings hurt."  


I am not asking anyone to take sides, or take swift action, or even to take slow action.  Please just educate yourself about the world around you.  This issue impacts everyone, whether Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Atheist, what have you.  It begs questions of personal liberty and where to draw the line, if at all, on freedom of expression. 


So I say, to everyone, Shana Tova.  You may accept the greeting or not, but please do so respectfully.  Thanks.

My Sunscreen: My Life?

Stuff: we all have it.  Me? Yup, I have stuff, too.  My room is cluttered, to my mother's dismay, with messy clothes, lots of socks, an array of colored pencils, birthday cards from years past, and the teenage essential, the cell phone (always somewhere in there yet never locatable...).

My room is not unique; it has a bed and a dresser, a closet and two windows.  Looking through the rest of my house, one would find my more unique belongings.  My art projects decorate not the walls but the floor.  My purse containing my driver's license and crumpled single dollar bills sit on the table.

At first glance, a tube of sunscreen, for example, means nothing more than skin care.  All 5'7'' of me cannot  fit into 9 fluid ounces; it is physically impossible.  However, a lot of me can fit in 9 fluid ounces of hypoallergenic sunscreen, a beach pass, lip gloss, a yellow bicycle, a surprisingly roomy cross-over bag, and a tennis ball.  The sunscreen paired with the rest of the items mean I love the outdoors.  It means that I care about myself enough to protect my skin.  It means that I am not tan.

Sunscreen paired with a tennis ball and bike could mean that I am an athlete.  I will tell everyone right now that I am NOT athletic.  Sunscreen paired lip gloss and my crossover bag could screams "girly girl".  What, then, does sunscreen mean?

The sunscreen could mean anything and everything.  To me, it means no tans lines but no skin cancer.  Ask my friends, and they will tell you about my play-it-safe attitude.  Ask my family, and they will tell you about my long walks.

This sunscreen scenario proves what Mr. Bolos and Mr. O'Connor proved in class this week.  One cannot possibly solve a "mystery" (the mystery being: who am I?) by themselves.  My sunscreen needs the explanation of my mom, my friends, and my beach pass to tell you about Glenna-the-Teenager, not Glenna-the-Athlete or Glenna-the-Goody-Goody.

Without talking to other teachers, too, we would not know about Mr. Bolos-the-Outdoorsman, or Mr. Bolos-the-Cook.  Clearly, diversity of sources yields the most accurate picture of a subject.  With those diverse sources and those of another investigator, an even clearer picture is painted.

This blog post may even be sighted in a research project.  In that case, I am the Queen of England and my house is made of chocolate.  My picture is below.  Have fun ;)

What is AIS?

"American Studies": how to interpret this...
... an American is studying?
... the studying of American ways?
... studying in general, but through an American lens?

That, I leave up to the reader to decide.  I will not share my interpretation of the course outright; hopefully, this blog will answer the questions above over the course of months.

First Post

Welcome to my American Studies blog.  Here, you can read and comment on current events relevant to the classroom; each week will present at least one new topic.  Suggestions for topics?  Maybe I can relate them to our in-class discussions.  Check back soon.  Thank you!