Post #3: Freedom Riders

             Although PBS's documentary on the Freedom Rider bus movement delineated the issue historically and accurately, I feel that if Hollywood could accomplish the same information and vision through a movie. The movie would need to be directed by someone who was willing to put aside the artistic aspect enough to include all of the factual and realistic information. The character development could be achieved by having the actors represent people who were actually there and they could talk to them to understand what they went through. By doing this, the movie would do a better job than the documentary because the viewers of the movie would be able to get more emotionally attached to how those being discriminated felt and what they had to go to. Also, I think the Hollywood version would be able to represent the scenes such as the bomb explosion or the violent police scenes at the end of the documentary better than the documentary because those who watch the movie would gain a deeper impact from these emotional scenes by viewing them as if there was live footage there, which could only be done properly by the use of the best visual effects and stunt teams that Hollywood has to offer. Audiences are more likely to be moved by being showed something than being told something. I found that the scene where the head of the policemen in the documentary was describing the plan to let the white men do anything they wanted to those on the Freedom Riders' bus for 15 minutes had an impact because I watched him say that himself in a primary source's video. That was one detail that stood out to me more than the situations those being interviewed only informed me from their interview segments through out the video.

Blog Post #2: Parenting

          I believe that modern day parenting has completely transformed from the way it was during the times of Scout's and Jem's childhood. Today, due to the increase in the use of technology and the pressure from social media and society, I feel that parents have felt the need to reach their children on more of a lenient friend to friend level rather than a respectful parent to child relationship. The value of setting strong morals and expectations has decreased and it has been proven through the lack of respect children have shown towards not just their own parents but to other figures of authority outside of their home life.
        When I am a parent someday, my child will have guidelines and standards that will be established at a young age. My child will understand the importance of hard work and earning rewards. In today's society, I find that many parents hand their children material items that they do not deserve. This causes children to have less of an appreciation for the finer things in life and it will only make the child even more greedy and bratty. When it comes to an attitude toward others, my child will show everyone equal respect and will not discriminate against others. They will be taught that no matter what a person looks like, how much money they have, or where they come from will not be determining factors of character. A person's character can only be determined by their actions and words.
        In today's world, children are often given few limits on what they can do and where they can go. Parents do not monitor who the child is hanging out with or what they are getting in to. When I am a parent, if my child does not tell me the truth about where they are going or who they are hanging out with they will have several privileges such as phone/computer usage taken away. Trust is important in a child to parent relationship, but the child should know that the parent will have more trust for the child if they tell the truth, which is something many children are afraid to do because they fear the consequences of the parents' reactions to certain situations or details.
           Rules and regulations along with trust, respect, and communication are necessary in a successful parent to child relationship and that balance is something parents in today's generation are lacking.

Blog Entry #1- Race Relations in America Today

         Through reading Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird in our English class and watching the PBS documentary titled, "Freedom Riders," I have been given an in depth look into race relations in the South and throughout the country during the Great Depression Era. To look back on the past and compare it to today's race relations in America, the difference is immense. Today, there are no longer any laws that enforce segregation such as those of the Jim Crow Laws, and government officials and authority figures no longer over look violent hate crimes fueled by racism nor do they arrest people of a certain race for a crime they did not commit. Although America has taken steps to eliminate racism and segregation as a whole, and all races are now considered equal, there is still racism among U.S. citizens today. In my own life, in school I have found that other peers of various races enjoy making stereotypical or racist jokes at the expense of others or even at the expense of themselves. I think that the government and professional issues with race relations today have improved in educational opportunity, for example the way colleges ensure that a certain percent of each race is accepted and given equal opportunities. Our country now celebrates Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and many other holidays and designated time periods, giving all races the chance to feel excepted in America's society. Removing all racism and hate from the world is an impossible task, but it has definitely decreased tremendously. In my opinion, immaturity and lack of education are the only two scenarios that give birth to those ignorant ideas in today's society.