Critical Reasoning

Critical reasoning could be used to analyze and evaluate why poverty exists and why it exists among certain groups more than others. It could also be used to explain how other classes and groups of people utilize poverty in order to oppress another group that they do not like. In the Moynihan report he used critical reasoning to explain why African Americans were living in so much poverty. However, I can use critical reasoning to show how his report could have been better and been more accurate. The lack of real analysis that Moynihan put into his report shows that critical reasoning can be used to not only analyze and evaluate a specific topic, but it could also be used to help improve an already existing report or explain how it could have been better. Poverty has several factors that cause it and you can't ignore any of them when analyzing a certain group and why they are impoverished. Evaluating and analyzing these different factors is essential in determining who lives in poverty and exactly why certain groups tend to be more impoverished than others. When discussing poverty critical reasoning is important because it allows people to see all different sides of poverty and help explain and analyze these different factors in a way that is accurate. In  regards to the Moynihan report, my paper will show how critical reasoning could have been better used in his report to make it more realistic and accurate.

Poverty Video

Poverty

The issue I am discussing in my last essay is poverty. My main focus will be on poverty of African Americans in areas around the country. Specifically I will be looking at the Moynihan report to and how he could have used critical reasoning to make his report more accurate and true. Poverty is when people have insufficient means of supporting themselves and their family in everyday life. This condition plagues mostly minorities and especially African Americans. The reason that I decided to write about this subject is because in our Black Social Movements class poverty was something that was discussed almost everyday and it was one of the main challenges that black people struggled with and continue to struggle with every day. The enthusiasm that these people fought against poverty with and the stories of people like General Dogon were so inspiring that this topic was one that stood out in my mind more than any other topic we discussed in class this whole semester. There are so many different factors that account for poverty and the struggles that have gone along with each factor are so captivating. Also the Moynihan report provides me with a great source to discuss critical reasoning and how it relates to what is and what ought to be. It tried to close this gap, but in an extremely ignorant way, which allows for a perfect analysis of how critical reasoning could have been better used in this report.

Never Finished

During my research I found an article from the Los Angeles Times that talked about the neighborhood of Baldwin Hills. In the article it talks about how a developer took a plaza on the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevards, which is an are that is predominantly minorities who have low incomes. The purpose of the new plaza was to bring in new business and revitalize the neighborhood economically as well as give it a cleaner and more modern look. However, the developer never followed through on his plans and millions of dollars were wasted. Not to mention the are that was under construction became a haven for drugs and crime. In trying to improve the city developers came in and actually made it worse. If a city or are is to be revitalized it should be done by the government with the people's wants and needs in mind as the primary goal. The government could choose to do the work on its own or it could bring in developers for additional funding, but the government must give the developers a strict idea of what needs to be built and where. When developers come in a try to improve a city they can end up making the situation even worse, which is why gentrification is not the answer.

Poverty Help in Los Angeles

USC Master Plan

The university seems to have a very organized and structured idea of what they want to accomplish with this plan. It discusses improving traffic and bringing in business to the area. The plan consists of many things that seem to be beneficial mainly for the school. The project on Jefferson Boulevard seems like it could be a interesting in the sense that it may bring jobs to the community, but when the community tries to use this resource along with the students and faculty there may be issues. Overall the plan does not seem very good to me. It seems like the focus of it is to improve the school and bring the spotlight to the university rather than involve the community. The plan did mention the community, but not in a sense that made me feel like the community and neighborhood around the school was really that important. The feeling I got from reading the plan was that the university just mentions the surrounding neighborhoods so it looks good and seems like it's doing something for the surrounding community. However, when I read the whole plan I didn't get the feeling that the community really was that important and that rather the main goal was to make the university better first and then maybe help out the community.

http://www.usc.edu/community/upcmasterplan/

Enrique's Journey

This presentation was extremely powerful and exposed a problem and situation that I, and I'm sure many other people were not aware of. The fact that thousands of kids from poor South American countries risk their lives numerous times to come see their mothers in the United States is a heroic feat. This lecture taught me to not take things for granted and that having parents present in your life who love and support you and are actually, physically there in your life, is something that I should be very appreciative of and so should everyone else. The lecture opened up my eyes to the devastating lives that thousands if not millions of kids live every single day. The struggles that this lecture exposed me to were ones that need to be taken care of and have more attention brought to them. There are several things I and many others could do to follow through on the ideas presented in the lecture. I could either start another organization that helps support these kids and spread awareness to their issues or further support another group that helps these children. The change of this issue needs to start with awareness and then getting things done.

Moses Video

More to Moses

After reading and researching more about Bob Moses I learned a lot about him and his ideology. He wanted blacks of the South and all over the nation learn to vote and go out and actually do it. This was the main goal of his grassroots movements and his whole idea of going door to door. The Freedom Summer he helped organize was all about helping blacks to learn to vote and then registering them to vote so they could take what they learned and actually use it. I learned that he had a specific goal and idea of how blacks could obtain equality and the steps that were necessary to do so. Instead of just having the concept of equality, he wanted blacks to be empowered through voting and then they would become equals. He felt that the main way blacks would become equal and receive equal power was if they had power. Moses knew that this power would come through the ability to vote. My perception changed after more research in that I understood what he was doing. I now could see his vision and how important it and he was. This in turn made me respect Bob Moses even more.

Bob Moses Video

Bob Moses

The historical figure that I am choosing to be re-evaluated in high school text books is Bob Moses. This man was one of the most prominent figures in the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi during the 1960s. He was one of the main leaders and organizers of the grassroots movements to get blacks educated and informed on how to vote and where to go to vote. Without this man such groups as SNCC and COFO may never have reached the level of notoriety that they did accomplish. Also the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi may not have gotten to the attention and may not have been as successful as it was without Bob Moses. This man is important and should be taught more in schools because he was just as important to the Civil Rights movement as other famous figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. Moses also organized major events such as Freedom Summer which was an amazing event that brought blacks and whites together and strengthened the movement tremendously. Bob Moses was played a major role in the Civil Rights movement in several aspects but never received much credit, which is why kids should learn more about him in schools because he is a prominent figure in American history.

Save the Whales Rally

Following Through

Social movements could use social networks as a way of organizing more rallies, marches, protests, and demonstrations as opposed to simply using it as a means of spreading information. Rather than just simply using networks such as Facebook to get your message and word out there, social movement could further and better use these networks as a way to organize actual movements in the public. They could announce when and where to meet and what the plan of the protest will be. By just sending out petitions and occasional reminders to call your senator or something of that sort, social movements are limiting their resources and not utilizing these social networks to their full capacity. The ability to reach people is there through social networks, but they don't set up a foundation for follow-through actions to take place and this is also partly the fault of the social movements as well. To get a full effect of a social movement people can not simply just sign a petition, which movements usually resort to through social networks. These movements could get more follow-through action through the networks by setting up live video chats where people can have discussions and debates. This will help people spread the word while also getting something done beyond just clicking a button.

Social Network Activism

Through Facebook I have experienced several different means of social activism. Many times I have been sent petitions to sign and invitations to join groups for a certain cause. These are the two most common forms of social activism that I have experienced where I have been approached rather than me myself going to join a campaign for an issue I am concerned about. One form of social activism that I participated in that was through the internet was in 10th grade when I helped pass out fliers to help spread the awareness of autism. Other than that I usually ignore most social activist groups or petitions that are sent to me via Facebook. I have signed of few of them online through Facebook such as a petition to legalize marijuana and a petition in November of 2008 to vote no on California's Prop 8. Other than signing these online petitions I didn't follow through on any of them, except for a Save the Whales petition that I signed and then actually attended a rally. The rally was definitely enlightening, but besides listen to people and what they had to say about whale hunting, I didn't feel like I did much for the cause.

Picture

Effectiveness

The advertisement works effectively in selling the product because it is short and to the point. People just see Imperioli for a few seconds and the impression they get is the tequila is great because it pours itself and its for "macho men." Imperioli uses the hard, dark appeal of a mafia member to give the tequila a cool and more masculine appeal. On the surface the advertisement only seems like a harmless ad that is using a "mafioso" to help sell the drink with his hardcore attitude and persuasion. Now because people only see the surface because the ad is so short they buy into it and therefore, Imperioli is effective in selling the tequila. However, because no one takes the time to analyze the ad they never see the negative portrayal of Italian people in it and proceed to buy the drink. If people would delve deeper into it the ad would probably not be as effective.

1800 Tequila Commercial Video

1800 Tequila Commercial

In this commercial by 1800 Tequila, Michael Imperioli acts as the spokesperson for the alcoholic drink. Michael Imperioli is best known for his role as Chris on the HBO series The Sopranos. The show is about the Italian mafia in New Jersey and all that they must deal with when living a criminal life. When people see the commercial they see an Italian man that is talking with a New Jersey accent and with an attitude that people mostly associate with a mobster. The fact that Imperioli is most known for his role as a mobster only intensifies this association. The commercial captures Imperioli's ability to portray a mafioso and focus on it in order to make the tequila seem cool because people want to live lives that are full of fun, money, sex, and all the other glamorous things the mob life seems the entail. However, this does not positively portray Italian people. Instead of using Imperioli's ability to act like a mafia member, they could use the camaraderie of Italian life and how important families are. They could show and Italian family party where they were all drinking 1800 Tequila. This would show Italians in a positive view and also show advertise their drink as a fun-inducing drink.

Taco Bell Spokesdog

Here is Taco Bell