Stay Classy!

Reading The Great Gatsby has prompted discussion about social class.  I did a little research about America's perceptions of social class and reflected on my own.  Here are my findings:

I came across an interesting report by the New York Times (click HERE to see it).  Ms. Goulart, of the self-proclaimed lower class, said "The rich get more benefits and tax breaks and the poor people don’t," directly relating to self-proclaimed upper class woman, Ms. Freeborn.  She says that rich people get "preferential treatment, where they don’t have to pay for things." 

Is there truly a cycle of rich to richer, poor to poorer?  I don't believe so.  Although certain advantages come from having money, preventative measures between being financially unstable to financially stable can, and have been, overcome.  To give extreme examples, I turn to Forbe's "Rags to Riches Billionaires," which states that "almost two-thirds of the world's 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch."  Not relying on a cycle of wealth, government leniency, or inheritance, these people created their own wealth.

So social class is based on money, people can move among classes, and it is based on perspective.  However, the question remains, what is it?  I conclude that it is a mindset; an idea.  If you take another look at the photos of the NY Times interviewees, their facial expressions become proportionately happier with the amount of money they have.  The people in between are "transitions" from one emotion/social class to the next. 



Rich n' Happy.



Poor n' Not.

Money does NOT necessarily match wealth.  Wealth in terms of family, in terms of experience, in terms of friendship, and in terms of insight do not depend on a pay check.  If a financially poor, happy, confident, and intelligent person tried to make friends with a person similar in all aspects aside from salary, would they be able to form a relationship?  I would hope so, and do believe so.  It's called social class after all; we're not talking about socio-economic class.  That's a different ballgame.

I consider myself upper class because of my education environment, physical and emotional safety and security, and because of my strong friendships.  My financial situation may or may not match my mindset of class, and honestly, that doesn't really matter much. 

Any input on how you define "Social Class" is much appreciated.

Winding Down: Junior Theme #(I forget what number this is...)

Hello fellow Junior Themers!  Hope all research and writing is going well!

As we review our final drafts of this lengthy project, it seems appropriate to reflect on the journey on which we have just ventured.  At the beginning of this process, "Junior Theme" seemed like an all-encompassing project of doom.  Thousands of potential articles- a vast population of potential interviews- hours in front of a computer screen lied (laid?) ahead.

Personally, the interviews proved challenging.  All were set up to be email interviews, as hundreds of miles  separated us.  The three experts I approached agreed to do an interview.  The first try, I received a response within hours, sent questions, and received answers before the end of the night.  My next try seemed successful.  I approached, she replied, I questioned, and... nothing.  No response to the questions.  I moved on.  Take three!  I approached, he responded, I questioned, and... nothing.  However, this third try was not totally in vain.  In his initial response, Mr. Scott Robertson offered over a page of insight to my Why question.  Even though I did not hear back regarding my questions, his words proved quite effective in my paper.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank our teachers for their help above and beyond the typical teacher.  Ms. Gressel, Mr. Bolos, Ms. O'Connor, and Ms. Eich, made Junior Theme manageable and even enjoyable.  Thanks you, everyone!

Not All Protests are Created Equal: Take Two

If I may, it seems appropriate to revisit a post from not too long ago, Not All Protests Are Created Equal from March 6th.  Interestingly enough, that very same week, a radio piece addressed the same topic.  (Thanks for the LINK TO THE RADIO PIECE, Mr. Bolos!)  It asks:  What is a protest?  What is a civil war?

On the Media analyzes the use of the term "rebel" and "civil war" to identify anti-Qaddafi forces, while some could argue these men and women are "protesters."  The last bit of the radio show seems to sum up their discussion well:

Several people have told me that the moment they hear the word “rebel” they begin to disconnect. The effect is compounded when combined with the phrase “civil war.” Whether or not people like us on the other side of the world choose to engage or even follow the story is a decision each of us makes every day. We think we make those choices consciously, weighing the expense and time and mental energy with what we stand to gain. But often we decide without deciding. What we choose can hinge on the unrecognized power of a single world.

 We know that Madison, WI is not in the state of unrest it was in March... it lived the life of a "protest."  People had signs, people swayed government policy makers, people put down the signs, people (like myself) wrote blogs about it.  In Libya, the conflict continues.  Is calling anti-Qaddafi forces protesters accurate?  What do we call them?


Just yesterday CNN published "Inside Libya's Rebel Movement," a video that tells about the current status of the goings on in Libya.  This is by no means a protest, folks: military communication devices, guns, international military aid?  No, no, no.  This is a war.


In March, I could make analyze the fact that the situation in Libya and that in Wisconsin were titled similarly when their nature was so vastly different.  Now, with time aggravating the situation in Libya and dispersing the one in Madison, there is not even a title to compare.  These two events are no longer in the same realm of conflict.  


Clearly calling both the situations in Libya and Wisconsin did not change what they became, or else they would have become essentially the same thing.  So I must ask, do words actually have that much power?  Can a combination of symbols on a piece of paper or screen mean anything?  I don't think so; the blood in the dirt describes the situation quite accurately on its own. 

Junior Theme continues...

This long weekend, I began looking for holes in my research. I found that most of my research focused on the nature of Autism, like its symptoms, personal accounts, and its historical context. Making a topic outline allowed me to recognize my lack of information about treatment, public ignorance, and government aid. 

I came across some information about IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) of1975. It has made high school graduate rates double in the last few decades, to give an example of its success.  I also learned that ABA stands for Applied Behavior Analysis, which according to Autism Speaks is "a scientific approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by environment."

I hope to begin writing today or tomorrow... keep checking the blog for progress!  Again, hope all is well with everyone's Junior Theme.

Excited! Junior Theme

G'Day Mates,

Exciting news! I sent an email to a professor in AUSTRALIA this afternoon and he already responded!! So I'm pretty pumped; scratch that- I'm very pumped.

I asked him to answer a few questions because an article he wrote possibley disproves my argument... not because he is the perfect compliment to my thesis statement. I am trying to understand my topic, autism, as fully and completely as possible. Direct quotes from the interview may not integrate easily, but a greater understanding will impact the entire paper.  Hopefully I will recieve his responses soon.

He's all the way in Melbourne, Victoria!!