Little Rock x2

Jena and Little Rock are similar because in both cases, the town protested against a group of kids going to a specific school. In both cases, there was racial slurs being thrown around as well as angry people. As we discussed in class, we seen pictures of Little Rock. When I read the article of Jena, those pictures came up in my head again. The two incidents are also similar because they both had gotten the president involved. What surprised me most is that this wasn't 100 years ago, It was recent. I thought our age of people had better respect for things like this. Although racism will never be banished, I would still expect better actions from this town. They could of approached this situation differently. For instance, they could have all wrote a letter disagreeing with the schools actions or they could have went to a school meeting. Not form a raging gang and go about it with violence.

MLK v. X

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had very effective ways of doing things. MLK thought violence wasn't the answer, but things like sit-downs and civil disobedience was the key. On the contrary, Malcolm X thought opposite, he in forced his actions with violence to make people believe that people weren't afraid to stand up against people. In my opinion, I like MLK's ideas better. Even though you sometimes need that extra push like Malcolm X, violence is not always the answer. There are better ways to do things rather than fighting it over. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are both memorable men, but I do see more MLK posters and hear his name thrown out there more than X's. I believe there are more civil ways to handle situations rather than fighting so I'm voting for MLK on this one.

mer·i·toc·ra·cy

What we saw in class was astonishing. The kids believed that the collars were holding them back from achieving true success. In my opinion I disagree, I believe it's all psychological. For instance, a placebo pill. It can be filled with purely sugar and a doctor can tell you its for better sleep at night. With you not knowing what it really is, your brain tells you what you want to hear, so you're going to have more positive feedback because you really don't know its a sugar pill. This goes for the kids in the movie. They think that just because they wear that collar, they aren't as good as the other people. They get that mindset and thats what they will go by. There's nothing physical or chemically done to make them think they are worse. Its all in the brain, thus it's all psychological thinking.

I Am. . . .

I am a white freedom rider
I wonder what other whites think of me
I hear my name being slandered
I see the beautiful countryside
I want peace
I am a white freedom rider

I pretend racism doesn't exist
I feel hatred
I need this to be over
I worry I wont make it
I cry for freedom
I am a white freedom rider

I understand that I am not wanted here
I believe in equality
I dream of unity
I try my best not to strike back
I hope this will end soon
i am a white freedom rider