The Meta-Post: A Reflection

I'll be honest here, it took me about 20 minutes before I could settle on my favorite blog post. The reason? All my blog posts are too good to choose from.

But seriously, I wanted to see how well I related my writing to American themes, along with some of the topics we've talked about in class. After some mind-straining consideration, I settled on my most recent one. You can take a look here.

I think the best thing about this post is how well I was able to integrate the themes we've discussed this year. I was able to convey the significance of entering politics as a minority. I questioned the American political machine, and the way it takes advantage of people to further its grasp in the political system. And to top it off, I connected it to our discussions about token minority characters. It's pretty obvious; Mia Love - the black, female, republican, Mormon running for a congressional spot in Utah - might as well be from a TV show.

In addition, I think the overarching idea behind my post was quite inquisitive. It magnified the extent to which people in the political discourse are willing to go for empowerment. When it came to Mia Love, the republican establishment didn't hesitate to jump on something so opportunistic. Even with months to go until the elections, she was place on the top ten list of most important congressional races. And high profile members of the GOP have already gone so far as to state that she would have millions of dollars at her disposal. This reflects the nature of politics, the depravity (I would go so far as to say) that haunts politics in America. And to my great satisfaction, I'm confident I conveyed this message accurately.

Overall, I'm convinced that my writing has grown over the year. I learned to better convey messages, tie in outside sources, reflect on themes from class, and question common thought. In my opinion, my blog post about Mia Love demonstrates this improvement.

Race, Gender, and Politics

As I was sifting through the daily news stories, I encountered one that I found really tantalizing (link). The GOP political machine is endorsing a candidate for a congressional race in Utah, but not just any republican contender  - a black, female, self-proclaimed Mormon. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much it related to some of the themes we've discussed this year: race, gender, religion, token minority characters, etc.

It's not something that's often seen in the political arena these days. In fact, if she gets elected, Mia Love would be the first black woman to serve in the US house of representatives. That being the case, it should come as no surprise that the Mia Love is in the cross hairs of the republican establishment, being declared one of the top ten most important races in 2012. The GOP has had a long history of not welcoming minorities with open arms, and as anyone could guess this was a scarce opportunity. 

So here's the plan. Spend lavishly in the election, and create the perfect token minority character. Fool the people into believing that republicans have the same appeal to minorities as the democrats. Build the party where it matters most and construct an image of diversity, while simultaneously pandering to a crucial voting block.  And the next time some democrat utters the word "racist", you've got the perfect comeback: Mia Love.

There is no denying this. In fact, when asked about this inconvenient truth, Love replied very cryptically, and resorted to the usual political shenanigans: "It's not because of a pair of heels that I was able to go in, and cut spending" she replied, trying to maintain a smile. What does that even mean? Please answer the question, Mia Love.

In 2008, the republicans got eviscerated when it came to galvanizing key demographics. According to this breakdown, a staggering 95% of blacks voted for Obama, while 56% of women voted for Obama. So in the same way that TV shows use token minority characters for higher viewership ratings, Mia Love couldn't be a better candidate to get republican minority engagement up. Throw the people a bone to chew on. That's certainly what appears to be happening.

But really, this isn't even the real problem. The problem is that politics continues to be one cat fight after another. The problem is that the two parties are so desperate for votes that they would go to any extremes to successfully pander to the right demographic. The problem is that Americans still care about race and gender. The fact that the republican establishment cares so much about this election indicates that as much of a facade as this is, people pay attention to these attributes. Believe it or not, a black, female, Mormon standing at the forefront of the GOP could actually play an imperative role in garnering votes.

College: The Ultimate Indication of Class

I'm going to be honest here: I've been completely apathetic to the very thought of college for many years. Although my parents had been encouraging me to show the slightest bit of interest, I wouldn't budge. And to make matters worse, the meetings with my college counselor had virtually no effect on me. But finally, something clicked in my brain over the weekend. For hours, I sat at the computer surfing through website after website, looking for a college that would be right for me.

The funny thing is that I couldn't think of anything to write about for my blog post. And then it hit me. COLLEGE. After everything I had read over the weekend, I had subconsciously accepted the notion that college would act as a social marker in my life. I could be in the "elitist", upper class. Or the average, relatively mediocre middle class. Or I might not go to college at all, and find myself in the lower class. The place I go would very likely define my social class for the rest of my life. Scary thought, isn't it?

   

Consider a place like Harvard. Once you leave the university, you're all set for life. You'll have an unbelievable amount of knowledge, including a broad vocabulary base and the ability to speak very properly. You'll have to make an effort to not get a high paying job  (in fact, take a look at top tier college salaries here). You'll have friends of the same, educated, wealthy class. And you'll come out feeling better than everybody else, because, well, you went to Harvard and they didn't.

But suppose you don't go to Harvard. Sure, you'll probably have a comfortable life. But you won't have the same lucrative job offerings. Your education, although quality, won't be nearly as comprehensive. Your best friends will most likely be middle class, like you. And you won't have the same optimism in your life as someone from a top tier school. Chances are, you'll settle down in a decent, middle class neighborhood with an average salary and friends of the same social class.

Finally, consider somebody who doesn't go to college. You know what that most likely means, right? Poor salary. Small, compressed place to live. Cheap clothing. Lower class friends. Fast food. Although these aren't necessarily true, I'd say they typically are, at least to a much greater extent than in the two cases referenced above. And how would you get to the upper class? That's a mystery. Honestly, it would take a miracle to go from having no college degree to settling down in the North Shore. 

And that's why I argue that college is the greatest indicator of (future) class. In fact, that's what college is all about. Finding out where you truly belong. Should you live your life in proximity to alumni from Princeton? Or should you rent an apartment and work as the manager of the nearest Dominoes? It all starts with college. And I guess that explains why I've suddenly become so interested in the college process. Because looking forward, I want to be a part of the upper class. And to get there, I have to get engaged in the process, and (hopefully) get accepted to a top tier university. 

What do you think? Is there another indication of class that supersedes college? 

Gateways in American Society

After reading Betsy's post on the ACT, and the way in which it acts as a gateway to top notch colleges for those getting testing accommodations, I wanted to talk about my opinion on the matter. I too believe that our society is based on this gateway system. As I mentioned on Betsy's blog, I constantly see students doing social service for the sole intent of having a nice looking resume. And as I also mentioned, finding a job these days has largely become dependent on your ability to garner connections and use them for special treatment. However, I'd like to talk about where I believe this gateway system exhibits itself the most in American society.

For those of you that have read at least a few of my blog posts, I'm sure you're aware of my belief that most of our problems stem from the government. Well, this blog post will be no different. Because once again, I'd like to blame the federal government for the gateway system in which we find ourselves today.

As I have discussed in previous blog posts (based off class discussions), the military industrial complex is a huge leech on the economy. At the same time that we have businesses producing, innovating, and expanding according to the wants and needs of consumers, we have an industry that gets nearly a trillion dollars from the feds each year so that American troops can remain stationed all across the globe. Remember, this is money that was taken from the productive sector of the economy, and given to the people that were able to give the politicians the biggest donations. Talk about a gateway! That's nearly a trillion dollars down the drain every year to the most destructive sector of the economy (pun intended). Because of the government, defense contractors are able to grow richer and richer as the average American gets poorer.

In addition, consider what happened in the wake of the housing bubble. As the stock market began to tumble, the federal government almost immediately began passing one stimulus (bailout) after another. Now, you might try to tell yourself that the government actually had the people's best interests at heart. But let's take a look at the donations then-senator Obama received (here). If you look closely, you'll find that some of his biggest contributors include big banks. Morgan Stanley. Chase. Goldman Sachs. Citigroup. IBM. And the list goes on. Is it just a coincidence that many of these are the same banks that got bailed out? I think you'll notice the same pattern with corporations. Is this not a gateway? Isn't this exactly the kind of gateway system American's have gotten so increasingly sick of?

But this sort of behavior can be seen from the federal government on almost all levels. With so much money to dole out, you're always going to have people making secret deals, getting paid, and leaving rich. And not just rich. Rich with same dollars that were taxed away from the average American Joe. And this is the biggest gateway of them all. This is why I would argue we currently see a national debt of fifteen trillion dollars, with no end in sight. And this is what has spurred both the Tea Party an the Occupy movements. Although the two may appear to be complete opposites of one another, I think both movements are sick and tired of the same thing.

What do you think? Is the  US government just a massive gateway system, as I argue?