Monday, February 18, 2013

Video and coontz


After watching the first half of the film which covers capitalism in our society today, he explained why our country is in this economic mess and how it will not be shorty lived.  I am now aware it of how big of an issue this really is.  I don't pay enough attention to politics and news as much as I should, I do know that in this term we are about ten billion dollars more in debt then we already were, which is obviously a huge issue. Now after hearing this speaker and seeing how serious he was to get his point across, I am more aware of this is a problem and that is not going to be easily fixed.  He gives history of the economic up and downs in this country and how the working class has been a  huge part of it.  He also explains that this recent problem has been caused by multiple mistakes made from the government, banks, and spending problems of people in America, without settin blame on one thing. 


In Coontz's article she also speaks of the econonmic up and downs, and the different classes here in america.  Coontz speaks about how important it is for the American family to be independent.  She explains a myth that most people like to think they have made it to where they are on their own. She sees that without this government assistance it would be very hard for the working/middle class to live comfortably without it.  For example, loans for a middle class man to be a homeowner.  

Each speak of the money spent by the government and how it is unevenly disributed. Overall I see a never ending  cycle. I see that without government assistance we will never be able to get ahead. But the more we use this assistance, the worst the economy gets.  

Monday, February 4, 2013

Jonathan Kozols Amazing Grace truley shows his readers how different someones life can be from yours. In the text a young boy brings the author for a walk around his neighborhood.  He and she both describe different parts of this neighborhood in The South Bronx.  The young boy has a deep appreciation of god and a mother that cares about him' but it doesn't blind him from the crime and disease that is spread around the neighborhood.
When speaking to the mother back at church the author tells her that her son referred to an incinerator down the street to the place where they burn dead bodies.  Although the was incinerator is used for waste from nearby hospitals it shows how class can effect where it is you life.  They explain that the  incinerator was originally supposed to be built in manhattan but the residents in the area refused the building due to thearise of cancer  but when those residents in the south Bronx refused it, the government looked over their objections. as a reader this showed that the government not only  overlooked the concern of these parents but also the wellness of the children in this area.
The text also gave an example of a boy that went to school and got a  scholarship to college, but then was exposed to drugs and never made it there, though this can happen to anyone, living in a neighborhood where women wait with their children for clean needles from the government seems to set you up for failure.
The article is a great way to show the world that some people just can't get ahead, not because they are lazy but because they don't have the chance to succeed.

A little about myself

Hi I'm Kelly, I plan on graduating from ric in May with my degree in history and couldn't be more ready.  I grew up and live in westerly rhode island, it's a great town not sure if I will ever really leave.  I work at a nice restaurant in mystic ct called s&p oyster company. Though I am interested in history I really want to go into residential real estate when I finish my degree