Impressions from the Museum of Contemporary Photography

Last week, my AIS class went to the exhibit "Peripheral Views: States of America" at the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College. In one particular room, a whole wall was dedicated to images depicting locations around the country with the address 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I think the point of the exhibit was to demonstrate that although these buildings have the same address as the President's White House, they are very different.

The image at left, was one of the less glamorous locations. The caption, which I posted below it, says that it is from Pennsylvania, which seems to make more sense to have this address located in a state by the same name, in contrast to the President's home in Washington, D.C. It's hard to believe that the same address could be home to one of the most recognizable buildings in America and others that are rundown and average.

Buildings represent America, because after all, who lives, works and uses them? American people. For example, if a building looks professional and well taken care of like the White House, the person who lives there probably is too. I don't think enough people realize how average America doesn't have white picket fences, a rose garden and a security team. Other images from the exhibit with the same address showed a church, a mall and a parking lot at the location. I think that if more citizens saw how different areas looked, they would have a greater appreciation for the true United States.

The Court Theatre's Jitney: The Role of Veterans in Society

Earlier this week, I saw Chicago's Court Theatre's production of the August Wilson classic play, Jitney. I really enjoyed the show and live theater in itself is truly amazing and thought provoking. The show highlights nine characters, and two of them are veterans. It takes place in 1977 in the wake of the conclusion of the Vietnam War and previously the Korean War in a non-licensed "jitney" cab station in Pittsburgh.

Two of the main characters, Youngblood and Doub, are both veterans of the Vietnam and Korean Wars, respectively. In one particularly grappling scene, the much younger man, Youngblood, talks to Doub about how his experiences in the war still affect him today and that the government did not care about him or any other African-American soldiers. The wiser, more level-headed Doub, croons to him about his own experiences and how after some time, he learned to move on with his life. He also suggested that Youngblood look at the positives of being a veteran, such as being able to take advantage of the GI bill.

Both characters represent the two parallels of how veterans react to their time in the service. While neither seem to exhibit any PTSD's, many veterans do. The GI bill, which presents veterans with opportunities after they serve (for more information, click here) is definitely something to take advantage of, but many soldiers feel that they do not want to be felt sorry for, like Youngblood. This must see play really demonstrates the role of veterans in today's society and before, to the audience. It is disconcerting to know that veterans have always felt under-appreciated throughout 20th century America.

9/11/12- How Americans View Today Differently

The WTC's, Twin Towers, after the two
planes crashed into them, via Getty

Most Americans remember the events of September 11th, 2001. How America's World Trade Center (WTC) became an 'innocent' target for the terrorist attack seen at left. How the attack evoked two wars that are still we are still affected by today, eleven years later? Maybe no so much.

Today in my AIS class, we talked about how the first and second anniversaries of 9/11 evoked a strong, passionate sense of patriotism in Americans everywhere. Eventually the patriotism cooled down as the effects of two wars began to take its toll on the US. I feel that although the patriotism did 'flare up' again after the 10th anniversary and the earlier assissination of the event's perpetrator's group leader, Osama bin Laden, it went down drastically to the point where it wasn't even mentioned. But I think that Americans don't respect the day as much as they should.

Although I've heard the argument that people die everyday and that day in September of 2001 was no different, I think it was a truly defining moment in twenty-first century American history. It determined how we became involved in two wars and how the relationship between the US and countries in the Middle East, such as Afghanistan, deteriated further from an already tarnished one. (For more information about the past conflicted relationship between the two, click here)

The fact is more American service members have died as a result of the events of September 11th than actually died that day. Although the whole situation is terrible, I think we should try a new solution to solve the conflict and prevent more deaths on both sides.
               Meanwhile I think we should show more thanks to our
                            soldiers deployed and their families.

To learn more, you can visit Operation Gratitude or the USO to see how you can help.

The American Obsession with Social, Public Media

Facebook and Twitter logos

Many critics today label the first decade of the 21st century, "the Information Age". With a consistent rise in technology, advancement after advancement enable more information to reach more people. Included in this information and technology boom are social network media sites that are free and easy to access, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Some of the most common and frequent visitors and users of these such sites are 100% American. Is this is coincidence or are Americans developing an obsession?

At first, I thought these sites were a waste of time and only celebrities and their crazy obsessed fans would follow what they are doing up to the minute. Surprisingly by about 2008-9, Facebook really took off and according to a 2010 study, 41.6% of Americans had accounts and still use them today. Clearly it is not just a phase!

These networks have also played an important part in popular culture (for example someone could tweet something to #leonardodicaprio and it would show up on his page) Twitter especially has become a medium for political upheavals, ie the Arab Spring, and the current American Presidency campaign. Voters can "hash tag" a favorite candidate to draw more attention to them and their campaign. To learn more about hash tagging, click here.

Whether or not one believes in the process of these social medias, it clearly demonstrates the clear, American trend and obsession of wanting to show off and boast physically what they have. For example, someone may post a picture of them with their new car or manicure etc. Despite the material possessions mentioned, I don't think they have anything to do with the consumer market place. I think it is just once again a forum for Americans, who think they are superior, to show off what they have and brag to the whole worldwide web. What do you think?

How the American Economy and School System Have Become One in the Same

I was watching the Democratic National Convention this week and I noticed that of among many issues and hot topics being discussed, two of the most pressing were the depreciation of America's education system and the recession-plagued American economy. Before today, I thought they represented two completely different things; until I saw an article by Kirk Johnson on the New York Times website called, "School District Bets Future on Real Estate". (For the complete article, click the link above).

The town of Gervais, the topic of this editorial, is located in rural Oregon. What once was a town of farmer families, is now a 'commuter suburb' and has quadrupled in size in the last four years. Because of the financial recession, the town has been forced to cut corners; such as eliminating their arts and music programs and reducing staff size. The most drastic effort to cut costs was to, "put three of the five school buildings in the district — all six miles or more from town, on the market [for sale]." The district superintendent, Rick Hensel, claims that by offering some of the school property on sale for residential contractors or farmland, the town can make bank. Oh, and if it goes well, they plan to do it with more of their schools to the point where they can consolidate the district, K-12, into one (1!) school in the center of the town.

A school playground in Gervais, OR that is for sale
near an apple orchard via Jonathan House

In ideal circumstances, this would help the town regain some financial stability and restore some programs that were cut, but still, that is if EVERYTHING goes perfectly. I do not agree with this town's decision. Unfortunately, it is a clear example of how the almighty dollar has become more important comfortable learning environments. The American school system is already weak (U.S. children have consistently ranked low in global education studies and tests) and it needs all the help it can get. And if there is one thing in American society that is weaker than the public school system it's the uncertainty of the real estate market and the economy. The American school system should not rely on economy, and it will be shown after the doomed, unsuccessful result of the Gervais school sale.

The Power of Compliance in Sports, and American Culture

The Four Slams, via Tennis Ticket News

Every early fall, the world of tennis turns its eyes towards New York City, for the annual United States Open, a professional 'Grand Slam' tennis tournament. The greatest to play tennis have performed on the world stage here.  Some consider the Four Slams, at right, to be almost as momentous as the Olympic Games themselves, which only turn up every four years. This being said, the athletes always give us, the fans, something to think about that really is a lot bigger than just tennis, and in this case it is the sudden retirement of many successful stars.

Roddick playing 2012, Getty

Two of tennis' top players, Kim Clijsters, and Andy Roddick, have both officially announced their retirements from the sport of professional tennis; one day apart from one another, on August 30th and 31st. While critics had known that Clijsters was coming into the Open as her last tournament, Roddick's announcement was quite a surprise. Although Roddick had been thinking about retiring for some time, the Bleacher Report notes that Roddick said in a press conference following the announcement, "When I was playing my first round [at the U.S. Open] I knew." And although Roddick claims that, "walking off at Wimbledon, I felt like I knew then", and had been thinking about retiring for months, I think when he saw how the public and peers positively reacted when Clijsters announced officially her retirement, he thought it would be the perfect time. When he was asked if anything might have influenced his decision, Roddick claimed that it was "just time". Could the power of compliance be bearing its ugly head in the American sports world?

Although it may be the case of Roddick, other seasoned tennis stars, such as Serena Williams, are thinking otherwise for themselves. Ms. Williams said, "so many people are retiring. It's incredibly sad for me to lose a friend on the tour. It's going to be hard." Williams also stated that she has no desire to follow in Roddick's footsteps anytime soon, "I wouldn't have anything to do! I want to stick around for another 20 or 30 years." Despite the apparent hyperbole in her final statement, Williams does definitely defy the common misconception that all Americans and athletes simply follow in each other's footsteps to no avail. As a fan myself, I hope these players stick around for a long time and that Roddick is the last of the modern greats to retire so soon after the loss of another great player. What do you think, is it reverse psychology or just a coincidence?