Bring it On is the story of two opposing cheer teams from different schools competing in a cheer competition for the championship. The Tauros are a predominantly white school while the other team, the Clovers are a predominantly black school. We begin the movie with our main character Torrence becoming the captain of the Tauros after their former captain Big Red retired. While at a game Torrence discovers that her team had stolen the routine of the Clovers and that they had not come up with a routine on their own. She is onted by the captain of the Clovers and they both come to realize that it was Big Red who had stolen the routine from the Clovers. At their next competition Torrence has a team meeting to try and change their routine so they wouldn’t be stealing from the other team, the rest of the team wants to keep the old routine because they feel the fact that it is stolen is not their fault. They end up using a routine that, yet another team preforms however they do manage to make it to the finals. Torrence and the Tauros make their own routine and end up coming second to the Clovers who use their original routine to win the Championship. The movie provides a clear message, when the Tauros steal from the clovers it is meant to represent how white people have stolen things of cultural significance from African
Americans and claimed them as their own. The team’s initial willingness to keep using the routine demonstrates to the reader the idea that white people are able to justify this theft and oftentimes do not have an understanding of what they have done. In the end the Tauros make the right decision at the cost of the championship as they learn to respect the sovereignty of one another. The book is a good allegory for Race relations in America and I feel it is important to look through at this film not just as something about cheerleading but also as a commentary on how white people can justify the theft of culture and how it should be dealt with.
Author: white.3498
“Yo.. is this” Podcast. Dean White, Cia Cron, Ray Ko
Full Transcript
16:26:42 Hello everybody, welcome back. This is Dean.
16:26:49 This is Ray, This is Cia.
16:26:53 And this week, we’re discussing classism, so let’s begin.
16:26:57 In 2020 actress Lori Laughlin was among one of the many high profile persons of interest after it was discovered that she and many other parents had paid over $500,000 towards officials at the University of South Carolina in order to have her two children fall
16:27:21 portrayed as rowing recruits so that their academic applications, would be under less scrutiny. She was, again, not the only person to do this but was among several parents, all discovered to have paid off officials at the school.
16:27:32 Now let’s get down to the real question, is this classist?
16:27:36 What are your guys’ thoughts?. She’s like the actress I’m like full house, right?
16:27:45 Yeah, she’s the one from full house I think I remember, I remember growing up watching. Oh, well, in real life she got into that. But yeah, I definitely do think this is a form of classism, because she’s obviously using like a lot of the wealth that she
16:28:00 has to help her children, try to get into better education stuff.
16:28:06 Many people don’t have that opportunity.
16:28:10 Yeah. And while she was among the lot of people that do that while she was one of them.
16:28:17 She did get off like it seems that she got off a lot easier than a lot of the other parents involved, like she did pay her bail. So she wasn’t really charged with very much.
16:28:32 So I think that shows that that’s classism. Well she definitely did get tried for it. That’s the thing, yeah, that I look at, but you can also argue.
16:28:41 She was just the one who got caught, if you really look at the situation, you can sit down and I can guarantee you that this is not something that has only occurred, just then.
16:28:59 I could almost guarantee that you could find this at almost any university. It’s probably happening right now.
16:29:01 Oh, I guarantee it’s happening right now.
16:29:06 Um, let’s start talking a little more about classes, what really is, how do we define classism. yeah so what is classism, Do you guys have any definitions that you apply to classism?.
16:29:25 I’ve always kind of seen it as like unequal treatment of people based on their social standing is how I’ve always defined it.
16:29:28 Yeah, that’s what the dictionary says, So it basically started in ancient India with the pyramid of hierarchy.
16:29:38 And with their caste system. So from top to bottom, it would rank the people based on their status. So from the top it is priests and academics, like the important and smart people.
16:29:51 And then after that, they’ll go to warriors and kings, the well respected. And then after that, for the third layer, was merchants and landowners.
16:30:01 And then the fourth was commoners, peasants and servants. And then at the very bottom like not even on the pyramid, It’s like a step below the pyramid was The Untouchables.
16:30:12 And a lot of this carried on to America whenever America started. Like in the 18th century it basically became whoever was more literate, is the people on top of the pyramid, and whoever is born into more wealthy families
16:30:30 So, social classes began to be decided through noticeable traits such as race and professions.
16:30:38 Back then we didn’t really have that many professions to choose from so it’s basically like the merchants versus the peasants so it was very clear who was on which side of the social hierarchy, and there wasn’t really anything in the middle, like today
16:30:50 we have the upper class, the middle class and the lower class, and like even divisions within that, but back then there were just two.
16:30:59 What’s interesting to me is that it seems like even today you still hear a lot about the caste system in India, it’s a system that’s been around for so long now.
16:31:10 Yeah, it basically started everything like the whole.
16:31:16 It’s also cool, because like this stuff it all ties in with lots of like the class themes that we talked about, like, one on the other, and then all these things because it’s just like everything’s just kind of divided into, like, Oh, this is the high group,
16:31:30 and then this is like the low group, and there’s all the stuff in between.
16:31:34 Yeah, it’s like that for everything.
16:31:39 It’s totally agree.
16:31:40 I one hundred percent agree. I think that the idea of class really is also sort of intertwined with the idea of race because if you look even if you look at, India in the caste system and whatnot, their, their definition of race, isn’t quite the same as ours.
16:31:58 If you look at like the state of the united in the us right now.
16:32:04 There is a massive
16:32:08 difference between though, the 1% and, and the lower classes but what’s what’s really horrible is how closely it is intertwined with racism.
16:32:35 On average, African American families have found to make one 20th of the wealth certain white families made. On top of that,
16:32:31 systematically African American communities are not privy to a lot of the same things that white communities get.
16:32:40 For example, a lot of schools there are underfunded or like they don’t have the same access to housing. It’s, it’s definitely an issue that ties in not only with, with race but with class and the people who are there to keep them in such a position, it’s
16:32:58 it’s not any.
16:33:00 It’s not a coincidence that 90% of congressmen right now are old, rich white men, because how is that completely fair if these are representative, then why is it fair that a population that makes up less than 20% of the United States govern everything,
16:33:21 it’s because they are the upper class they have an unfair advantage over almost everyone, including people of different ethnicities and races and whatnot.
16:33:37 I definitely see your point there like we do see this like a lot of specially like living in America, like, that’s what you usually see all the time like presidential candidates that’s like a common one, or just any government official really senate,
16:33:50 the house,
16:33:52 It really is just a bunch of rich old, men white men now.
16:33:56 It’s all about who can raise enough money and a lot of those guys already have the money.
16:34:02 It really is a shame.
16:34:04 How do you think we got there considering America is like quote on quote the melting pot of America, are we going to like keep continuing with the old white men in power?
16:34:25 Or like how do we change that.
16:34:27 we change that. Well there’s got to be a recognition of what’s happening I feel, I feel like a lot of people on on a lot of different sites aren’t willing to address the issue of classism as it is that these people can pay their way into these positions
16:34:42 of power because they have the wealth to control that kind of stuff, you know, you got to start there and even even there it’s a difficult thing to start tackling.
16:34:53 But definitely a thing, it’s like, it’s been getting better as like, like you could just tell right through like time it definitely has like there’s been a lot more changes and stuff, but these kinds of trends will probably still see for quite a while
16:35:05 though because they have just kind of been hard set there.
16:35:10 But, yeah, go ahead.
16:35:12 I definitely agree i think i think it perpetrates like almost every aspect of our life like even being here.
16:35:20 Speaking from like those classes like us, we’re seeing like now from my like personal experience, um, so I don’t know if you guys know this but so I work a part of like dining services and I love the people dining services, and like working there sometimes
16:35:37 but the people controlling Dining Services, they kind of make it the best place to work at.
16:35:44 I think the prime issue that comes with like a lot of jobs is like pay. So students there they get paid about 10 to $11 and the issue right now is dying place because a coven is it’s really understaffed.
16:36:01 But the one thing is even though we’re understaffed, and we’re really getting underpaid here, like dining services they don’t actually try and push for anything.
16:36:08 They just kind of look at this and keep everything the same.
16:36:13 They always pressure hiring.
16:36:15 They’re always like sending us stuff like oh take these shifts and but they don’t do anything to raise pay or include any sort of incentive.
16:36:24 The other day, they gave some surveys out that they wanted people working in dining to complete. But it was really only to reach a quota, so they don’t really care so much about the feedback, which kind of shows how much they actually care about us.
16:36:39 It’s kind of like a creeping bureaucratic system they have where the higher chairs of dining services they just sit down and make sure that people are working, and just kind of leave it at that.
16:36:51 And I definitely.
16:36:53 Yeah, go ahead, guys.
16:37:02 Why do you think that they’re not like raising the salary from 10 to 11 if they’re so understaffed, like, you know, I think it has to do just kind of a lot with just like like I said it’s like it’s like a bureaucratic system and they’re probably just
16:37:10 honestly thinking like, since we’re in college, like, Okay, once we leave, it’s like problem’s done. It’s like they’re just kind of sitting there waiting and I think it also kind of has to do with like, President Johnson isn’t really taking the best advancements
16:37:24 to try and help us out either.
16:37:29 I definitely, I definitely think there’s a lot of merit to that I worked in dining services too, and it’s difficult.
16:37:36 And, and I especially now with how understaffed everything is now there’s like a fundamental refusal on the, on the part of people who are in power to pay workers more.
16:37:50 And we’re example was working through a pandemic you know let’s keep that in mind too. It’s not we’re just making a note that’s during a pandemic.
16:38:00 Exactly. Now Yeah, I definitely agree, and it’s it’s funny that you bring up University again because it actually brings us like full circle back.
16:38:11 I think that there’s actually a lot of classes and universities, I think that your example and I think the Loughlin family example is another good example.
16:38:23 A lot of institutions can be fundamentally cheated.
16:38:28 If you have money if you have that kind of power classism is a real issue in the US and they can use it to skirt the system, they can use it to win votes in Congress to get their kids into any institution they been fed, it’s, it really is a complete travesty.
16:38:52 Okay. I think that’s all the time we kind of have for this week.
16:38:57 Unless you guys have any more input to add.
16:39:00 Yeah, I think that’s about it for this week. All right, well, tune in next time if you want to hear us talk about sexism.
16:39:07 Thanks guys. Have a good one.
16:39:09 You too.
Sources
Burke. NBC News. October 28, 2021. “Lori Loughlin pays $500K for college tuition of 2 students after admissions scandal”. Accessed November 14, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/lori-loughlin-pays-500k-college-tuition-2-students-after-admissions-n1282644
Huffman. Courthouse News. November 15, 2021. “Feds Say Evidence Delays in College-Bribe Case Won’t Help Loughlin”. Accessed November 14, 2021. https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-say-evidence-delays-in-college-bribe-case-wont-help-loughlin/
Frontiers For Public Health. November 11, 2021. “Poverty, racism and the public health crisis in America”. Accessed November 14, 2021. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/934650
Peacocke. Go Strategic. September 13, 2016. “RACISM & CLASSISM”. Accessed November 14, 2021. https://www.gostrategic.org/bottom-line-archive/racism-classism/
Diary of Systematic Injustice- Border Detainment Facilities
The United States estimates that it currently houses around 11.4 million undocumented immigrants as of 2018. Time and time again we have seen these people mistreated, underrepresented and discriminated against by both society and our systems of government. For years these systems have perpetuated xenophobia and allowed for numerous human rights violations to occur to many of the people just attempting to find a better life. One such example of these human rights violations are the detainment facilities along the Mexican American border.
The McAllen Detainment center in Texas is one of the largest detainment centers in the united states. During a flu outbreak at the facility a physician was sent in to asses and treat the outbreak, he reported “39 children under the age of 18 facing conditions including ‘e cold temperatures, lights on 24 hours a day, no adequate access to medical care, basic sanitation, water, or adequate food” showcasing to the world the conditions of such facilities and the treatment of detainees and children within them (Stieb 2019). Detainees within the facility where also disallowed from washing themselves or their children, which essentially functions as a form of physical and mental abuse. People are forced to sleep on the floor while dozens of people would be forced to share a cell meant to fit only 8 people. The treatment of these people would be deemed inhumane by standards found even in most prisons. Facilities like McAllen are not uncommon, and conditions like these far more common than what should be allowed.
This is a clear example of systematic injustice as it showcases the xenophobic discrimination the U.S. has for immigrants and Mexican people who have attempted to cross the border. The inhumane treatment found in these facilities showcases this utter distain the system has for undocumented immigrants. To me this injustice relates back to the idea of the other and the self. Americans tend to push narratives and systems of governing onto other groups of people, this includes the undocumented immigrants at the border. Since Americans view these people as other than themselves based on look, financial and personal situations as well as many other factors many see no issue with the abhorrent treatment of immigrants in detainment facilities. In order to even attempt to fix the incredible divide our actions at the border have caused many innocent people the government of the United States needs to relax immigration restrictions while disbanding detainment facilities along the border to ensure that there can be no further human rights violations occurring in such places.
Sources:
Stieb. NY Mag. July 2, 2019. “Everything We Know About the Inhumane Conditions at Migrant Detention Camps.” Accessed November 5, 2021. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/07/the-inhumane-conditions-at-migrant-detention-camps.html
PBS. June 21, 2019. “A firsthand report of ‘inhumane conditions’ at a migrant children’s detention facility” Accessed November 5, 2021. A firsthand report of ‘inhumane conditions’ at a migrant children’s detention facility | PBS NewsHour
Andersson. I World News. July 3, 2019. “Photos reveal ‘ticking time bomb’ of worrying conditions for detainees on US-Mexico border.” Accessed November 5, 2021. https://inews.co.uk/news/world/mexico-us-border-facilities-texas-detainees-report-309359
Week 7 Context presentation- Persepolis and the History of the Islamic Revolution
Persepolis tells the story of the Author Marjane Satrapi as he grows up during the Islamic revolution in Iran during the beginning of the 1980’s. Satrapi is a child attending school when laws in Iran begin to change. In her formerly non-religious French school she is separated from her male classmates in school and is made to wear religious veils. She sees both her parents begin to protest against the government while Satrapi begins to see the injustices in the world around her and begins to turn to god for aid and starts looking to work to fix the world around her. She learns more about the history of the government under Shah and sees people like her uncle who were held as prisoners and tortured while in jail. As more and more become outlawed her family manages to take a short trip away from Iran before returning to their home being bombed. As she grows older her rebellious spirit persists and she is eventually sent away to live in Austria. Here she finds pride in her heritage after facing physical and mental adversity and eventually she returns to her home to see her family where she reconnects with them before leaving once again to make positive change in the world.
The Islamic revolution, or the Iranian revolution as it is also called began around 1979 when Mohammad Reza Shah was exiled and a new Islamic Republic was established. It is important to understand the context of events leading up to this crucial turning point as they have wide reaching effects on events in the story. In the early part of the 20th century many social groups joined together to attempt to push agreeable reform for the citizens of Iran. These attempts were repeatedly thwarted. However later to do continued pushes towards change and interference from foreign countries a monarchy was established and Mohammad Reza Shah assumed his position as leader after years of turmoil. Shah would later begin what was called the “White Revolution-an aggressive modernization program that upended the wealth and influence of landowners and clerics, disrupted rural economies, led to rapid urbanization and Westernization” which was likely done as a result of increased western oil consumption and led to human rights debates (Afary, 2021). These new reforms were not met with parise as protests began to occur as a result of the decreased standard of living. The changes described above helped contribute to the growing disdain for capitalist ideas seen early in the story of Persepolis as disdain for foreign interference caused mounting anti-capitalist ideas to arise.
Later as ideas from people such as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini began to arise more and more Iranians who were disenfranchised by modernization began to oppose the Shah regime. As the government failed to deliver on it’s promises of wealth distribution the people grew more and more unsettled, culminating in what came to be known as the Islamic revolution. After struggles for power and strict enforcement of laws on behalf of Shah, he was eventually forced into exile and would later flee to the United States for cancer treatment. From here Khomeini would declare an Islamic republic and it is around this time that our story takes place. The new republic would create sweeping changes and advancements for women where repealed. This is why we see Satrapi wearing a veil, these laws were enforced by state police that “enforced a new traditional Muslim dress code and delivered improvised justice to perceived enemies of the revolution” which is also seen in the novel when Satrapi encounters and subsequently avoids capture by Guardians of the revolution (Regan, 2020). The changes in power during the Islamic Revolution lead Satrapi towards rebellion and seeking justice which is why it is important to understand how such an oppressive administration can take power through the people.
The novel Persepolis and the events leading up to the Islamic revolution reflects back on previous themes we have worked with; however the one I would like to focus on is Hagel’s idea of the Master Slave Dialectic. In the beginning when The Shah held power the Islamic citizens were slaves to his master, they worked towards satisfying his regime’s lust for wealth and power through the oil economy until they realized their position and refused to serve the master, overthrowing him and becoming the masters themselves. Subsequently as the master they began forcing their ideas on the people of Iran resulting in groups such as women becoming slaves as a result of their actions. The situation is Iran and the Islamic revolution is perfectly encapsulated by this idea of shifting power struggles between master and slave.
Works Cited
Afary. March 25, 2021. “Iranian Revolution”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/event/Iranian-Revolution
Kojeve. The Master-Slave Dialectic. Accessed September 29, 2021
Regan. April 28, 2020. “Iran After the Revolution”. History101. Accessed September 29, 2021. https://www.history101.com/iran-after-the-revolution/
Satrapi. 2000. The Complete Persepolis. Pantheon.
Trial post
This is my trial post