Race in America

Both of these sites were really interesting to read.  Starting off with the Tribune article, there were many issues that struck me.  By the middle of this century, it is believed that whites will be the minority in the country.  This is weird to think about because everyone is always referrring to blacks and latinos as minoritys.  There are many ideas that come to mind when thinking about minorities.  Benefits and unfair treatment initially come to mind.  Some say it's easier to get into colleges but others say they are oppressed.  I don't think that being a minority is an issue when it comes to power because there have been many cases in which the minority has equal or same power, take Egypt or South Africa as examples.  It's surprising how many times there are acts of racism going on today.  Recently at UC San Diego a noose was found.  The difference now is there there are always reprecussions for the offender.  This shows that overall there is progress being made with racism because even white people are willing to protest to get the white person (assuming the student was white) in troublefor offending the black community.  One of the issues that both website talked about was the unemployment of black people.  The CNN article study showed that whites were two times as likely to get the same job as a black person.  Even a white felon was equally as likely to get a call back as a black person.  This is clear that racism still exists in the hiring process and work place.  It's pretty eye opening to think that a person who has committed a potentially terrible crime can get an entry level job before a black who is a good citizen.  It's sad to think that the people who are actually doing the hiring are this racist or think that little of blacks.  Unemployment in America is obviously a really big issue, especially with a disproportion of the unemployment coming from the black community.  This connects to the CNN article because most unemployed people are looking to get entry level jobs, not executive positions.  If blacks and whites were truly getting an equal chance of getting a job, the unemployment gap would get closed a little, but not completely.  There are still many problems in the black community that are much more prevelant than in the white community.  The social problems such as education really hurt them because they aren't getting the oppertunity to go to the schools that will enable them to go to college, let alone graduate high school. It's really tough that this is how our society still is today, and like the last assignment we did the country still has a ton of progress that needs to be made.  Like what was said in the Wise articles, blacks feel as if they are second class citizens, and reading some of these Tribune and CNN articles leads me to believe just that.  Whites and blacks alike need to treat each other equally.  Once that happens with  everyone equal opportunities the social and socioeconomic gap we are seeing now will close.

Mock Trials

I actually disagree with the verdict on both of the trials. I think that in the David Jones case he should have been found guilty. And Elise Roberts should have won her case too. I don't think the facts were looked at as they should have been but rather people went with their beliefs over the facts. This means that people in the class are being critical of women who are saying they have been sexually assaulted or raped.  In the David Jones case I think that it was pretty clear that he raped her. People missed the part about the ripped shirt and how hard someone has to pull to rip a shirt. Also, if it was an accident she would have taken the shirt to get it fixed. She couldn't look at the shirt anymore because it would remind her of the rape. The Elise Roberts case was pretty clear of sexual harassment.  The peoples idea of sexual harassment in class is different than the courts idea. I believe that Kevin didn't think he harassed her, but she obviously thought so. After multiple comments and no solution for the problem, this was a clear sexual harassment case. As far as these two cases went, one would think the class is fairly conservative and thinks that women should stick up for themselves.

I don't think that rape is much of a problem at DHS as it may be at other high schools. I think people are smart enough to know that word would get out fast and that it's a crime. Sexual harassment is another thing though. That goes on a lot but a lot of times the girls like the attention so they won't say anything. They know they are being recognized so they will happily take the comment. Also, they will sometimes be asking for attention with how they dress and whatnot. Another reason is that they don't want to seem like a snitch and get a bad name for themselves. I don't think there's any way to eliminate this in the school. People have been talking how they do for years so it's not going to all the sudden change. If a girl doesn't think that a comment is sexual harassment and another girl thinks the same comment is, what should the school do? I think it's an issue that will always be wrestled with and will continue to be a grey area with no definite answer. It's an unsettling conclusion but it's true.

Wisconsin Teacher Union Fight

The Wisconsin Governor is trying to "balance the budget" in the state and bring the deficit back. He plans on doing this by trying to limit the rights of the teachers union. The union, now, is able to negotiate as a group. This is why their benefits are so good. The proposal would strip workers of the right to bargain over anything other than wages. This means besides their pay, they wouldn't be able to protest for anything. The president of the Wisconsin Education Advisory Counsel said, "Without a voice in the schools, without rights to speak up on behalf of students and the education profession, educators are concerned about the future," she said. "Wisconsin's governor and Legislature have denied opportunity for discussion and collaboration. By stripping away the rights of workers, they've left nothing more than one's ability to have a voice and to stand together and say this is wrong for Wisconsin."  This quote shows that she is scared that the teachers will be less motivated to do their job well.  Another issue that can come up from this is people will be less inclined to be a teacher because part of the reason people want to be a teacher is all of the great benefits that come with it.  Another big issue is the tenure that teachers there currently receive.  The governor wants to alter the system to make it easier to fire teachers that aren't performing to where they should be.  I don't think that any of these issues will get completely resolved unless both sides are willing to compromise on the issues they feel most strongly about.