Is Black History Month Racist?

Last week, my dad and I had a discussion about Black History Month. Since it is Black History Month and we have been discussing it in class, I was interested in what he had to say. Also, as a boy my dad grew up in Mississippi, meaning his response could be intriguing. Although he is not racist, racism is still prevelent in the south. I was curious if the way he was nurtured and the fact that he was surrounded by racism as a boy would impacted how he felt about Black History Month. I was somewhat suprised to hear his response when I asked him what he thought about the Month. He thought it was racist. Not because blacks got their own month, but because only the blacks got their own month. My dad responded that if whites designated a month as White History Month, it would be racist and raise a lot of protest. So why isn't black history month racist?

In my opinion, this is a very good point. Why do we only have Black History Month? Why isn't there an Asian History Month or a Jewish History Month or even a White History Month? Many people would argue that those months (especially a White History Month) would be racist; so then why isn't Black History Month racist? In my opinion I think Black History Month IS racist. I think it is very important to study the history and treatment of African Americans, but why should Febuary be designated as Black History Month?

So what should we do? Do you think we should remove the title of Black History Month from Febuary or should we keep it? I think that removing Black History Month would be seen as an act of racism against African Americans. This is why instead of calling to remove the title of Black History Month from the month of Febuary, I am merely trying to raise awareness. What do you think we should do?

Facebook Romanticized

It seems that facebook has swept the nation. Almost everyone I know has a facebook and it's a great way to keep in touch. I can contact friends in different continents with just a click of a button. Personally, I am part of the wave that has swept our nation. Even my sister wants to get one, but luckily for me she isn't in high school yet.

Facebook is another way for me to be myself, express my opinions and keep in touch with others. I think facebook's great and also very romanticized. People talk non-stop about facebook. People love sharing pictures and writing on people's walls. And recently, it seems many of my friends have gotten into writing notes on facebook. So is facebook really that great? Yes it is cool, but for 60 million people to have one, wow!

Also, facebook can be dangerous. Kids have to be careful when accepting friends. There are numerous articles, such as this one from the New York Times that talk about sexual pretadors seeking to get in touch with kids. Kids have to be careful when accepting friend requests. So if you decide to join the wave, make sure to be cautious.

Blago: Oppression and Agency

As we all know, Governor Rod Blagojevich has recently been impeached and effectively removed from office. His impeachment process was both very bothersome and seen as unfair by many Americans. There was definitely a lot of agency and oppression that occurred during his impeachment in my opinion.

OPPRESSION
1. The people were oppressed. Blago was found guilty of trying to sell the senate seat or at least discussing this. This is oppressing the people of Illinois because it is unfair. The people deserve a fair governor and a good senator.
2. In my opinion, Blago was oppressed. The hearing was unjust because the jury was biased. I don't believe anyone truly knew if he was actually going to sell the seat or if he was just talking about it. This is a crime, but in my opinion he doesn’t deserve to lose his job as governor necessarily or possibly lose his pension and go to prison. Also, the government recorded his phone conversations, which in my opinion violates our first amendment.

AGENCY
1. In some people’s opinion, Blago has oppressed the people of Illinois by even discussing the sale of the vacant senate seat. He is taking away the people’s right to a just senator. This power has been given to him through his previous job, as the governor.

2. Personally, I believe that Blago was oppressed by our judiciary system, who obviously obtains power from our government. How can we leave the future of a man in the hands of biased, everyday people? Also, it wasn’t right record his phone calls and listening to his conversations.

MY VERDICT
I believe in order to limit oppression we should both watch our state and national representatives closely and improve our judiciary system. Corruption would be limited if we simply observed representatives a bit closer. Does this mean we should tap phones? Not necessarily because that could be seen as oppression. Also, I believe that a new system might be necessary. Countless innocents have been jailed or sent to their deaths and countless criminals have gotten off. We need technology such as lie detection software to make better decisions. But that’s just my opinion; what do you think? Do you think there could have been a better way to deal with the Blago situation?