Freedom Riders

- If Hollywood attempted to depict the Freedom Riders in movie form, could it be done authentically with a close rendering of real events to the point where it was more effective for audiences than the documentary, or will the documentary always trump anything Hollywood could do, given that it's the "true" story?


        Freedom Riders, as a documentary, is an undoubtedly educational work. Therefore, for a Hollywood movie to accomplish the same kind of educational effect seems less than reasonable. However, what isn't taken into account is the audience that such a movie would reach. In general, documentaries are less widely enjoyed than blockbuster-style films. Freedom Riders itself is only educational to those who watch it. This seems at first like an obvious statement, but it shines a light on the power of a major industry film. If a blockbuster movie was made, it might leave out some of the details. It may create interactions that never happened, and it may even make up characters who never existed. Despite this, it would serve to educate people who otherwise may not have heard of the freedom riders about their struggle, and it could even open the door for some to do further research. In many ways, a blockbuster depiction documentary could do better than even the original. Besides that it would get their story out to many more people, it would create more interest in the topic, it could better display the tensions and emotions of the setting, and it could be more easily accessible to younger viewers who would want to understand the story. As well, there is no reason that the movie even WOULD be inaccurate. It is perfectly feasible that a movie could be made which would clearly and truthfully render the story of the freedom riders without making up things that never really happened.

PARENTING 101

Question: How should adults in 2012 "parent" their children? Lend your opinion on how this should be done. Think about the approach your parents/guardians have taken in raising you. Consider the parenting you've seen of others in your peer group (how your extended family parents your cousins, or how your friends parents deal with your friends), and finally, think about the parent you might want to be someday. How would you go about raising your children? What standards would you hold them to (if any), what rules would you impose (if any)?

              I don't believe that there is any one 'correct' way to parent a child. I like to think I was raised well enough, but I feel that that depends completely on circumstance, and the individuals. A person born in one area may respond better to one way of parenting, and others even in the same place may respond much better to completely different tactics. However, there are certain similarities between groups of people with common attributes. religion and political affiliation are two major examples of this. Each religion carries with it certain traditions, behaviors, and values that can be extremely formative, and each political party its own common goals ideology.  People brought up under the same principles tend to be like others with the same upbringings. 

             Now, no one of these is any better than another, and in fact many people with the same upbringings interpret their values in drastically different ways. Because of this, I think that parenting should be tailored to the child, rather than arbitrarily created based on someone else. I think that a good parent, without going into specifics, should be able to help their child to understand society, make sure that the receive what they need in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and education. However this is done does not matter, so long as the parent ensures that they do the very best that they can for their child. In terms of advising the child, and letting them figure things out for themselves, this also depends on the child. In To Kill A Mockingbird, both Jem and Scout are very self sufficient. Because of this, Atticus' brand of complete honesty and distant guidance is very well suited to them, and his ability to allow his children to live up to their full potential and make their own decisions makes him a great parent. 
             If and when I become a parent, I will not make my children try to achieve anything out of their reach. I will not decide what goals and standards they should have without seeing first what they are capable of.

RIGHTS ASDRTYUIOP{ASDFGHJKLERTYIJK

To help understand race-relations in America today, it's important to look back on our past/history. We've been doing that with our reading of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee's story of the South of the 30's, along with our viewing the PBS documentary, Freedom Riders, that dealt with the 60's. But this all took place decades ago. How would you sum up race-relations in America today, and more specifically, what is your own personal experience with it? What do you see are some of the more important issues, ideas, controversies at the heart of race-relations in America today?






Currently, at least in our area, I feel that race relations have come a long way. Legally speaking, at least, racism doesn't exist. That is to say, there are no laws that single out any particular minority. Now, in some areas of our country, of even our state, racism is still a large problem, but it is not the biggest issue of controversy in our nation. That would mostly likely be the gay rights movement. while there is no legal discrimination against say, blacks, or other races, that kind of legal discrimination against gays in America is very real. Gays in America do not have the right to marry their partners, and some of the head of the opposition to the gay rights movement's main arguments boil down to 'If gays could get married, animals would get married too'. this argument is exactly the kind of slur used by racists, comparing their targets to animals. I feel that if more people saw the similarities between the two cases of discrimination, then it would be much easier to procure equal rights for those people. It's my opinion that the movement for civil rights will not have changed anything until it has changed everything, and all groups, not just one or two, are treated equally and fairly.

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