February is Black History Month.
This is a pretty well known fact, as we have been reminded about it every February since kindergarten. But what are the other months for?
I did a little research and apparently, other months have "history" too.
I found it strange that some months, were not recognized as anything, like April, while other months, like May, had more than one "History" to be acknowledged. What does that say about our values as a nation? Are some issues less important that they can share a month with another issue?
Black History Month was a definite necessity, but today, should it still be a primary focus, or should the nation focus on a topic like Gay and Lesbian Awareness Month?
An blog post from the Chicago Tribune News Blog, opened discussion on this very issue, and had many interesting responses.
Personally, I think that Black History Month is important, but all the other "months" deserve equal recognition. If we are trying to create a perfect world in which everyone is equal, one type of history cannot take precedent over another, they must all be focused on equally and draw similar attention.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Perception of Danger
In class we discussed the poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke.
We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.
You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.
We discussed how the poem used to be read as a poem about love in a father-son relationship, but today, the first thing people think of when they read this poem is an abusive father-son relationship. As we discussed this, I started to think, why has this perception changed so much? Has the US really become a more dangerous place, or is it just that we perceive the dangers differently?
On one hand, the advances in technology has made people's lives more accessible. It is easy for a person to get information about someone else, track locations, etc. But on the other hand, technology also increases safety. Now that people have cell phones, it is easier to call 911 from any location, and a lot faster to get ahold of people in times of need. On this one I'm pretty split, but my gut instinct is that as dangers emerge, disappear and evolve as time goes on, so do our perceptions of danger. The US has not become a more dangerous place, just dangerous in different aspects. We just perceive out dangers differently.
My Papa's Waltz
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.
We romped until the pans
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself.
The hand that held my wrist
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.
You beat time on my head
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
Then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.
We discussed how the poem used to be read as a poem about love in a father-son relationship, but today, the first thing people think of when they read this poem is an abusive father-son relationship. As we discussed this, I started to think, why has this perception changed so much? Has the US really become a more dangerous place, or is it just that we perceive the dangers differently?
On one hand, the advances in technology has made people's lives more accessible. It is easy for a person to get information about someone else, track locations, etc. But on the other hand, technology also increases safety. Now that people have cell phones, it is easier to call 911 from any location, and a lot faster to get ahold of people in times of need. On this one I'm pretty split, but my gut instinct is that as dangers emerge, disappear and evolve as time goes on, so do our perceptions of danger. The US has not become a more dangerous place, just dangerous in different aspects. We just perceive out dangers differently.
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