Music in America

I chose to view this presentation because it's a topic that I think everyone recognizes and can relate to. Music is so powerful in many different ways. Like it was said in the presentation, it brings people together, tears them apart, and inspires. My favorite quote on Jill's third slide was the one that said, "Music is what feelings sound like." It's true because what one can't say, they can express it in music form. It relates to every age, race, and gender because there are various music genres and artists who express various ideas and opinions through music. The cool thing is not only does music entertain, it shares ideas and thoughts with others, especially when it becomes something global. I liked how one of the videos described the tragedy in Haiti and its relationship with music. Music brought all of those people in the audience together to recognize and pray for those who have suffered in Haiti. The song was sung in America and in Haiti as a meaning of hope which brought people from both countries together to hope for a better future. The topic of gangsta rap and the violence that many listeners relate it to is an issue that I've heard about, but never really looked into because I think people disregard it as something that's harmless. I learned that the reality of it, however, is that it's creating these misconceptions about rap music and creating this image that says that rap is just a genre that's only involves violence and other vulgar themes. There's the question of, "Is rap just an expression, or an actual threat to American society?" In my opinion, I think it's both. It's an expression and I think it does affect, though not threat, American society because fans could interpret the meaning of the song differently. Sometimes it's hard not to because I do know a lot of songs that are vulgar, but I also know a lot of songs that have different meanings behind them other than violence. At the same time, people aren't going to change their interpretations or opinions on rap for a long time because as long as rappers keep rapping about violence, then the misconceptions will never end.

The Human Genome Project

I chose to view Hannah's presentation mostly because I'm very interested in that particular area of science and so I wanted to learn more. Her topic is such a controversial one that needs to be discussed and researched because it's something that's a part of today's society. The first video did a great job in giving the viewer an overview of the human genome project and its purpose. I especially liked how the presentation immediately talked about the ethics and opinions that surround this topic and just how significant it really is to the future of mankind. People need to realize the consequences that the topic of "cloning" or "genetic engineering" could have on society. It's definitely a topic that cannot be ignored because scientists are constantly, yet cautiously, working and expanding all of these ideas to try and potentially improve the population's health. This topic is so incredibly intriguing, yet scary. It's bizarre to think that one day parents could have the option of choosing their child's genetic make-up, which also brings up the issue of discrimination in the workforce and how the procedures would only be available to wealthier families. One thing that had never crossed my mind up until I viewed this presentation was the statement that explained how the principle that hard work brings success could disappear because people wouldn't have to practice or work hard to be a better athlete where they could just go through the procedure of gene doping and automatically have that gene that would make someone stronger or faster. I don't think that's right. Yes, it would be great to just have that ability and already be a great athlete, but I think people should consider the ethics behind it. I've been told countless times the motto "practice makes perfect," or at least close to it, and it's true. People need to work hard to improve their abilities or, like Hannah said, study a lot to do well on a test. If people just get handed something to them without working for it, then they will never learn.

Discrimination Against Women

I chose to watch this presentation because I wanted to learn more about the progression of women's rights and discrimination against them. I know that women today are still discriminated against, but I didn't necessarily know to what degree because I thought that women had made significant progress in proving to society that they are as perfectly capable as men are in working in various fields of the workforce. I think this presentation did a good job in providing an overview of the reasons of why women were so discriminated against. The chosen videos also provided more of a current view on the topic of discrimination against women. In one of the videos in the presentation, it discussed various questions that relate to women in today's society. One of the questions that was asked was, "Are women participating in different fields in the workforce?" One of the women answered saying, "No, it hasn't changed much." She then explained how women had always been involved in the workforce, just that they've been involved in the same areas, which includes education and nursing. It was kind of disappointing and a little bit surprising to hear her respond in that way because I would think that women in today's society are more involved in various fields of the workforce. The presentation mentioned that there are fewer CEO's because women choose to stay home and raise a family. I wonder why many women don't take the opportunity to become involved in other fields of workforce if they have that opportunity because many still take on that traditional stay-at-home role and choose to raise a family. One question that I have about Kimmy's "What I Think" part of the presentation was, "Why does she think that women are being less and less discriminated against?" because she wrote that she believed that women are being less and less discriminated against. I also believe that women are less discriminated against than they were back in the 90's, but at the same time, many women aren't taking full advantage of the opportunities provided for them. The reason of why I believe that is because in one of the videos in the presentation, one of the women who was answering questions stated that the number of women participating in various fields of workforce, not including education and nursing, hasn't changed that much. I think that in order for women to break out of that stereotypical role of being secondary to men, we need to become more involved and prove just how capable and intelligent we are.

Works Cited

PICTURES:
Gay Equality Posters-
http://masonryan.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/gay-marriage-7.jpg
Harvey Milk-
(Google) http://faculty.uml.edu/sgallagher/GENDERSTUDIESTXT_files/milk1.jpg
Stonewall Inn-
(Google) http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2009/06/26/640_stonewall_inn_1969.jpg
Poll-
Katel, P. (2009, September 18). Gays in the military. CQ Researcher, 19, 765-788. Retrieved February 18, 2010, from CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2009091800.

HARVEY MILK QUOTES:
ThinkExist.com Quotations. “Harvey Milk quotes”. ThinkExist.com Quotations Online 1 Jan. 2010. 21 Feb. 2010

LINK TO U.S. MAP:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112448663

YOUTUBE VIDEOS:
Barack Obama on Gay Marriage- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6K9dS9wl7U
Christina Aguilera Beautiful Lyrics- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGiPjyrkFvw
Gay Marriage Bill is Quashed- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt--go6SEF0
The Last Words of Harvey Milk- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U_owSvbn00
Obama on Gays in the Military- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4iUHku5nNU

Current Event Entry

The topic of gay and lesbian is a topic that has continued to progress ever since it first emerged in the early 20th century into today's society. It is a topic that is still working in today's society to gain equality because there are still various areas in society that gays and lesbians are denied equal rights. For example, the military is one area. The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of 1993 that prevented homosexual troops to be openly gay while in the military still applies today, where gay advocates are trying to repeal that ban. Other, however, want the ban to remain because they believe that it preserves the military's foundation of unity and organization. They believe that allowing homosexuals to be openly gay in the military would disrupt that unity and organization, which the military cannot function without. Advocates of lifting the ban, in contrast, believe that it's time to give homosexuals that right because they claim that it wouldn't negatively affect the military's unity at all. Instead, it would give perfectly capable, determined troops the privilege to not have to hide that part of their being and risk becoming discharged. A new aspect of this issue is that some activists also question the president's commitment to repealing the ban as he promised he would do. So now the government becomes involved and their role is extremely significant because they are the ones who make the final decision. The same thing goes with legalizing gay marriage. Legalizing gay marriage is also a difficult topic to discuss because, again, people have their own opinions and beliefs about it and there is always going to be disagreement. One author, Samuel G. Freedman, believed that legalizing gay marriage would improve social stability. His reasons showed another aspect of why gay marriage should be legal everywhere. He said, "As imperfectly as we practice it, marriage nonetheless connotes responsibilities and obligations beyond those of the unattached individual or of the couple, whether gay or straight, who simply live together." He believes that marriage brings along the responsibilities and obligations that the couple must have and that it should be everyone's right, regardless of their sexual orientation, to have the privilege of being able to get legally married. He explains how their is a difference between being a couple and being legally married together. That being married brings all of the responsibilities that everyone should have the chance to experience. In contrast to Freedman's opinion, Kate Burns, author of another article, believes that gay marriage would harm society by compromising the "true nature of marriage." Burns believes in keeping tradition and that changing something that has been the foundation of society for so many years would destroy society itself. She says, "Ultimately, the reason to protect traditional heterosexual marriage is to prevent the alteration of fundamental unwritten laws that organize human society." Burns believes that the reason of why it is so necessary to protect traditional heterosexual marriage, is to preserve these essential, already understood laws that keep society in order. Another one of Burns reasons for preventing the legalization of gay marriage is because she thinks that it would compromise the happiness of children because they wouldn't have that support and guidance of a mother and father figure that is essential to the children being happy.
There exists a main obstacle that gays and lesbians need to overcome. And that is the "fear of the unknown" that society has. There is no possible way of knowing whether or not legalizing gay marriage or gays in the military will destroy the foundation of society. No one can predict the future. The only thing that people can do is experience and learn to accept.

Literature Analytic Entry

The short story written by Nancy Garden, Parent's Night, demonstrates the various themes of loneliness, fear, love, and acceptance. The main character, Karen, symbolizes a confused teenager, struggling to find a way to tell her family that she is gay. At the beginning of the story, she finds herself confused on whether or not she likes girls, where she ultimately finds out that she does when she meets Roxy, her girlfriend. Karen then falls in love with Roxy, but is anxious to "come out" to her parents. The reason of why she's anxious is because she doesn't know whether her parents will accept the fact that she is gay, or if they will be angry with her. That anxiety that Karen feels constantly follows her throughout the story and creates fear within her. When she finally tells her family that she's gay, they are at first upset and angry with her. That causes Karen to feel distant from her family and a little bit lonely because her own family didn't accept the fact that she was a lesbian. But later in the story as her parents talk, they finally try to be accepting of their daughter and eventually go to Parent's Night at Karen's school. There was a time, however, where Karen doubts that her family will eventually accept that part of what makes her who she is. And not only is it difficult for Karen, but also for her parents who have difficulty accepting that their daughter is a lesbian, which is something that many teenagers experience. This story is the epitome of what many teenagers struggle with when trying to publicly "come out," whether it be to their family or friends. They find themselves in fear of rejection and in fear that they won't be accepted by their family or friends, which is what many gays and lesbians experience. This story also added to the definition of the theme of gays and lesbians because it portrayed a more personal and emotional sense of the topic. Instead of just stating facts or giving a timeline of gay and lesbian history, the story describes an experience involving the topic and how it related on a more personal level. And within the story, there are various themes that revolve around the topic itself. For example, the theme of acceptance. Clearly there are still people in today's society who don't accept the lifestyle of being gay or lesbian because there are laws against it. Same-sex marriage, for example, is not legal in every state in the United States because many still don't accept it. Sometimes the topic is not always accepted, but when it is, it only takes a matter of time for people to understand.

"New Jersey senate defeats same-sex marriage bill"

This news article is about how the State Senate of New Jersey rejected a proposal that would have made New Jersey the sixth state in the nation to allow same-sex marriages. The vote ended up being 20 to 14 against the bill that would allow same-sex marriage. One man and the president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, Len Deo, was proud of the senators and said, "We applaud the senators for upholding a time-tested institution: marriage." Deo was proud that the bill was rejected because that meant that the traditional "meaning" of marriage, meaning the union of one man and one woman would remain. He believed that gay marriage would weaken society by redefining one of its main traditions. I've heard that statement multiple times where people believe that gay marriage or allowing gays into the military would weaken society's foundation. But what I wonder, is how do they know for sure that that would happen? They can't see into the future and they will never know the outcome unless they let it happen. Until they allow same-sex marriage, they will never know if it will negatively affect society. If anything, I believe that it would improve society because a lot more people will be happy to have that privilege of being able to get married legally. The article mainly focuses on how the defeat in New Jersey, which has been viewed as one of the nation's most "socially tolerant" states, was a significant setback for gay marriage advocates. Advocates of gay marriage had hope for New Jersey, but were let down when the bill was rejected. Advocates are now hoping to take the case to the Supreme Court, hoping that the bill will pass. Another theme that seems to repeat itself in all of the articles that I've been reading, is how much determination gay activists have to never give up on achieving their rights. In article, it talks about how advocates are disappointed from the rejection of the bill, they claim that, "we aren't done fighting." There is also the theme of equality because the article describes how opponents of the bill are frustrated with the fact that voters don't have a say in whether the bill passes or not and that it's not fair because in 30 other states, voters have gotten the chance to decide. They believe that New Jersey should also have that right. Advocates of the bill, however view the case as more of a civil rights one where the decision should be made by the courts and Legislature only. Either way, gay activists will continue to strive for their rights until they achieve equality.

Kocieniewski, David. "New Jersey senate defeats same-sex marriage bill.(Metropolitan Desk)." The New York Times. (Jan 8, 2010): A18(L). Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 10 Feb. 2010 .