Bringing
a Voice to the Voiceless Blog Assignment
“Instead of shouting war cries to the
sky they (the Native Americans) were simply milling about, talking low,
mourning Marie. Would they ever come
down from Circle Hill, rampage the streets of Bentrock, looking for her killer,
taking revenge wherever they could find it?”
(Watson 102).
Who
will stand up for the innocent? Who will
bring justice to those who have no power to seek justice for themselves? Who will be the voice for the voiceless? These were the questions that plagued David’s
dream? These were Gail’s questions to
Wesley in Montana 1948. But these are not just questions for Wesley.
In our own world, there are people who are powerless to stand up for
themselves and who need someone to be their voice to the world.
Essential Question:
Who are the powerless, the voiceless, or the oppressed
in our world today? Who are those
courageous individuals who are standing up for people who cannot stand up for
themselves? What can we do to make these
voices heard?
Your Task:
STEP ONE:
Look through the different issues of Upfront magazine and locate one article that connects to our
study of marginalized and voiceless people in society. Make sure that the article you select features
a group of people that are silenced by others and/or are people who are pushed
to the edge of society by a dominant social group. Also you could find an article that
celebrates something someone has done to stand up for these people. Your article should be connected to one of
the essential questions above.
STEP TWO:
On a Google Doc, do a brief write-up of the article. Include the following:
- Article title
- Identify which monthly issue of Upfront you found it in
- Identify the page numbers
- Summary paragraph (4-5 sentences): IN YOUR OWN WORDS, briefly summarize the 5 W’s (what happened, where it happened, when did it occur, who was involved, and the why—this will require a bit more explanation).**Note: Many of your classmates will not have read your article, so be sure that you include all of the necessary information so the rest of the class can understand what is mentioned in the article.
- Response paragraph (approx.. 4 sentences): Discuss the issues in the article, questions that are raised, and your thoughts and insights about the details discussed in the article. When you respond to the article, think about what measures should be taken to help empower these people.
STEP THREE: After you complete your write up,
go the class blog, sign in, and post it in the comment box.
STEP FOUR: When you are sure your post is published, reopen the blog and read about what other people posted. You should try to reply to 2 or 3 posts by asking questions, sharing your own ideas, or making connections.
STEP FOUR: When you are sure your post is published, reopen the blog and read about what other people posted. You should try to reply to 2 or 3 posts by asking questions, sharing your own ideas, or making connections.
***After the break, we will use this blog to come up with ideas for
your research projects!****
Who are the powerless, the voiceless, or the oppressed in our world today? What can we do to make these voices heard?
ReplyDelete“Can the Amazon’s Last Tribes Survive?” In UpFront’s Special Issue World Affairs 2016 November 2, 2015 pages 6-7
This article describes the risk secluded tribes in the Amazon are facing in their attempts to survive in modern day. It explains how the changing climate, mining, drilling, extinction of species and even other tribes put these select tribes at risk. This article was made possible by a man named Epa, he lives in the rainforest, but has contact with the outside world. Although these tribes have no voice in national politics, Epa has provided a small platform to tell their stories. He told author Andrew Lawler, how the last of the isolated tribes are fighting each other for the “dwindling resources”.
In the article, it states Peru has started to set up reserves that these isolated tribes can live on. The goal is to let these tribes continue on as long as possible and frankly, survive. On these reserves there will be health care and protection from other tribes. This seems like a great solution, also one that does not cost much money. By creating more political and historical awareness about these tribes, we can make their voices heard and help them survive. This could be done by having locals participate in the creation of reserves and getting people involved in the keeping the peace undisturbed. Epa, the man mentioned above, would be an ideal person to get the ball rolling on this project and to give these tribes a powerful spokesperson.
Ideas: Child labor, the Amazon tribes, Cecil the Lion, dangers in sports or women’s rights
Delete“Giving voice to Brazil’s favelas.” In UpFront’s the Newsmagazine for Teens
ReplyDelete2015 October, 12 page 12.
A young boy, Rene Silva, at 11 years old created a newspaper called “Voice of the Community,” to change how people thought of favelas. He lives in a Brazilian favela, also known as a slum. In his favela poverty was widespread, there was very little plumbing and gangs roamed the streets. Silva got people’s attention by making numerous copies of his newspaper and by live-tweeting. Many saw his media posts and brought attention to the favelas. He became the voice for their community and because of it several favelas got better street lighting and a new community center was built to give residents free job training.
In this article, Rene Silva helped improve the living conditions in many favelas in Brazil. He was the voice for their community and brought attention to many. I think it’s amazing how young he was at the time to stand up for so many people who didn’t have the courage to do so themselves. He was only 11 years old but brought about so many changes. By reading his story, it can help young people to stand up for something they think is wrong and never give up.
Max Hooper
ReplyDeleteCan the Amazon’s Last Tribes Survive? November 2015 pg 6-7
In the Amazon rainforest, there are small, isolated tribes that are defenseless against outside disease, illegal mining, smuggling and illegal logging. This issue has been present since Europeans first arrived in the Americas, but it has become worse over time as valuable resources have been discovered and sought after, often illegally, in the rainforest. Illegal activities threaten Natives because they are susceptible to diseases that outsiders are immune to, but bring in unknowingly. The people conducting the illegal activities also have been known to have confrontations that can become violent with tribes, which result in many tribe members being injured or killed due to their inferior weapons. These issues could eventually result in the extinction of Native tribes.
The Natives in the Amazonian rainforest are voiceless because they do not have representation in governmental decisions and are often unable to get adequate help and protection. This article raises the question of how the Natives should be protected and given help without completely integrating them into society, which would be the same as wiping their tribe out because they would lose their cultural identity. Some of the ideas for protection in the article, such as setting aside land for Natives and building infrastructure around, rather than through these areas would certainly work, but these ideas do not protect against criminals and disease. These issues can only be addressed through better enforcement of laws and healthcare for Natives, both of which are very difficult logistically as the Amazon is one of the most impenetrable regions on Earth. These solutions would require a greater appreciation of the Natives, their culture, and the importance that their way of life not be wiped out, as well as better political cooperation as the Amazonian rainforest is part of many South American countries that don’t always get along well.
Ideas for research: Prisoners, endangered animals, children in violent countries/child soldiers.
DeleteThere’s definitely been some angst about China. Their economy is showing explosive growth. They’ve been claiming islands, natural and manmade alike, just so they can control more water bodies. China is not just a potential threat to us, it has already been oppressing its (1.4x10^9) people for a very long time. Anyone caught questioning the government, protesting in anyway, or so much as bringing up the topic of democracy, can, and will, land someone in jail. That’s not all, though. You think your high school has a ridiculous firewall? You’d really hate going on the Internet in China. Imagine, a world without Google, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and other sites like it. Now imagine this world was real, in China. So what can/should we do about this oppression? Until the Chinese people start to fight back, not much at all. As we know, peaceful protest in China doesn’t really work, after what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is not really our place to do anything. If we did do something I I think that that would stir up a lot of trouble.
DeleteWhat they did over their summer break.
ReplyDeleteSeptember 21, 2015
Pages 9-11
Child labor still goes on today in a big and dangerous way. Saray Cambray Alvarez works on a tobacco field throughout the summer to help her parents support the family. Many other kids younger than 14, the federal law minimum working age, work on farms with family, tobacco fields, and mines.
Kids are the powerless, the voiceless, and the oppressed in our world today. We don’t have the options that we all think we have. You do what you are told. Parents don’t speak up most of the time because though the job their child is doing is dangerous, they need the financial income. I think that if these parents were in a better financial position that their child would be working in such dangerous conditions. Though when you bring the parents into this, they could considered the ones being truly oppressed. I know that my mom and dad would hate to see me going hungry if they had little money. I would volunteer myself to go work so that I could help out. If I said that I would get them money to feed the family, they would not really be able to say no.
Rebecca DN
ReplyDelete“What change would you make in the world?”
Be a citizen of the world
page 7
A kid named Sam, 14 years old, won a contest called Project: change. He developed a volunteer project for cultural understanding and education. His project helped the indigenous russians to make a record of their legends, traditions, artwork and other things on the internet to retain that information. He won the contest in 2014. He believes all people should be heard, and he wanted this group to be celebrated before they disappeared forever.
I agree with Sam. I think he idea is great, but I don't understand why he specifically picked Russia. There are many more ethnic groups that are disappearing and i think it should be included into one website that can search for many less popular groups.
This article is similar to the article in the November issue about Amazonian Natives who face threats from outside contact but have little representation and help because their history and culture is not well known. If these tribes cultures were better understood and recognized, they would get more sympathy and support in their struggle to survive. A project similar to the one in Russia would give the Natives the recognition that they deserve and desperately need.
DeletePresley Jackson
ReplyDeleteUpfront Nowhere to go
Animals vs. Humans
November
10-11
This article is about how hunters and poachers are hunting the lions and other exotic animals. One particularly being Cecil the lion who was a famous tourist attraction in Zimbabwe. The lion was in a protected national park and was killed in 2008. Poaching is forcing these animals to lose their natural habitat and is lowering the number of animals in that area to near extinction. They hunt exotic game for the fun of it and because it gives these people more of a rush because it’s more dangerous.
The issue with doing this is there doing it for fun of it. Nothing good comes out of killing these exotic animals and that they are killing them in protected areas/parks. Some questions that are raised is why are these parks not protected more? and why are these people doing this? whats the end game outta all this? My concerns out of all this is why did someone pay a dentist $50,000 to kill this lion? and they make a great point when they say, “Americans signing petitions understand that lions actually kill people?” (Animals vs Humans 11). I think that these national parks and wildlife experts should keep tabs open on these parks because poaching in some ways can help population growth and keep it regulated but that’s not always true. They should take more precautions about the situation and find a way for these poachers to stop doing this.
Is there a punishment for killing these animals? If so what would be the punishment for killing these exotic animals?
Delete
ReplyDeleteCan the Amazon’s Last Tribes Survive?
The tribes in the Amazon are dying out. Because they are so isolated and the world around them continues to develop at an exponential rate, they are forced to resort to violence and stealing in order to survive. They raid other tribes and murder other tribes members and steal the belongings and supplies because that is the only source of food, water, shelter, etc. The rainforest is being cut down by two huge projects crossing the continent, the $.8 billion, 1,600-mile Interoceanic Highway; and the Chinese sponsored $10 billion, 3,300-mile Twin Ocean Railroad. Because of this destruction of the these tribes home, they are forced to try and assimilate with near cities or more developed societies They wear soccer jerseys and nylon shorts but they are still Natives. These people are also not immune to many diseases we are immune to today. A group of TV crew members gave 20 native people the flu which ended up resulting in all of their deaths. These people have no say or representation in government because they have never participated in this new upcoming developmental world. We can change all of these problems learning from our previous massive mistake of the mass genocide of NAtive Americans and provide these South American tribes with “proper health care with an emergency team to snuff out epidemics. Illegal loggers and miners can be prosecuted. ROad and Railroad construction can be kept outside of the borders of reserves and parks. None of this requires a lot of money but it does require an awareness of history.”
November 2, 2015-Issue
Pages 6-7
“Animals vs. Humans”
ReplyDeleteSpecial issue/ World Affairs 2016/ Novemeber 2, 2015
pg. 10-11
In July a lion named Cecil was lured off a protected area in a national park in Zimbabwe and killed by a american trophy hunter (dentist). This caused a huge social media uproar and got people thinking about africa’s endangered wildlife. Because of poaching and habitat loss Africa has lost up to 60 percent of its large wild animals in the past 40 years. Elephants and rhinos are being slaughted for there ivory tusks, and lions and other large game are being killed by trophy hunter’s. Hunters kill about 600 lions a year in africa, numbers suggest there are about 30,000 lions left on the continent. Online however is in a huge uproar with over a million people signing petitions asking Zimbabwe to stop issuing permits to hunt elephants and lions. These animals have no say or rights but they are being slaughtered for sport and are endangered.
These animals are being killed for no reason, if they are endangered we should stop killing them, they have no say in the matter and it isn’t right to just be killing them for no reason other than for sport or there ivory tusks. The killing of Cecil started this big debate but we should have had this argument years ago when it started getting bad. Now there are laws restricting how and where you can kill the animal but Zimbabwe is still handing out hunting permits. In the early 1900s it was estimated that there were 3 to 5 million elephants in Africa, now there are only 300,000 left living in the wild, something needs to be done to stop the slaughter of these endangered animals.
How We Got Football
ReplyDeleteDecember 2015
Pages 18-19
This article dives into the history of football, and how it went from a small violent sport that was a club activity to the most popular sport in America and is offered at most colleges and high schools. The sport started as rugby and became slightly modified and was spread through Ivy league schools and other schools in the northeast, by the mid-19 century. One of the biggest supporters of the sport was president Theodore Roosevelt, he felt this was the type of sport that turn boys into men. The article gives a lot credit to Roosevelt and many times called him the savior of the sport.
At first this was not a popular idea, and many people felt it was to dangerous, but thankfully Theodore Roosevelt stepped in and voiced for the people who wanted the sport, the people who couldn’t have the impact he did. Roosevelt called a few colleges that offered the sport and hand them create safer equipment and rules, this way not only could people still enjoy the sport but could also be safe while doing it.
Homeless, Illegal Immigrants, Woman in certain places, Gays in certain places, Child Factory workers
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis article is kinda similar to the article in the December edition called Hard knocks. Hard Knocks is about the NFL trying to make the game safer, and to get more people to play, and not have so many head injuries that lead to brain damage. In this article it talks about how Theodore Roosevelt loved football, and saw that people did not want to play because you could get injured very easily. So Theodore Roosevelt gave safer equipment and rules to colleges that offered the sport. So the articles are similar because they both discuss about making the game safer so people would not get injured, and also to get more people to play football
Delete“A Push for Women’s Rights” written by Patricia Smith, pages 10-11
ReplyDeleteFor the first time in Saudi Arabia, women will be able to vote in municipal elections. This may seem like a big advancement towards equality but in reality experts say it will cause little change regarding women's rights. This is because municipal elections aren’t important and locally elected officials have little power. Even if it did matter, most women wouldn’t be able to register to vote or get to the polls, in a country where they don’t have the rights to drive. In Saudi Arabia women can not do most things without a man's permission. They need permission to get a passport, have an operation, enroll at a university, and many more. Most things that women in other countries take for granted, women in Saudi Arabia are denied. Women are always seen as inferior to the men.
In the article it states that the younger generation of Saudi women are trying to stand up for the females and create equality. In 2012 women were banned from a computer game convention in Riyadh, in response a bunch of women in their twenties organized their own gaming convention. Women should continue to be vocal and speak out about oppression to get the attention of the government in hopes of attaining equality. The absence the voices of women allows the men in the government to impose anti-women rules that discriminate against women and are damaging to national prosperity.
Is football just too dangerous?
ReplyDeleteDecember 14, 2015
pages 14-19
Football is a big part of American culture, but over the years it has been discovered that players may be suffering severe consequences for playing. Many players take huge hits to the head and quite frequently which has caused permanent brain injury. The idea of football is to be physically and mentally tough and to tough out any pain. This idea is even tought to the youngest players which could prove to be an issue early in their adult life. The sport became a big sport in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and has become much safer over the years, but is still very dangerous to the player’s health.
After many hits to the head many concussion like symptoms that have not gone away and this type of violence and injury has caused many American parents to keep their children out of the sport completely. I can partially agree with this if things were not going to change, but many states are putting new state regulations in for concussion testing and keeping kids out at the first signs. It’s been enforced socially to power through any pain, but state regulations now no longer allow any player to participate after showing any signs. I believe this will make the game much safer because many parents and doctors have brought it to the attention of the public. The NFL knew about this issue, but one brave doctor did all he could to bring C.T.E. to people's attention, so we could make the game much safer.
Animals vs Humans by Alessandra Potenza
ReplyDeleteFound in the special November 2nd 2015 issue of Upfront magazine
Pages 10-11
This article is about a trophy hunter who killed a lion in 2008 whose name was Cecil and how this recent killing once again opening the debate on how we should preserve our wildlife and save all endangered species. But there’s one problem, people that strive and take an oath and swear to protect these endangered species don’t do that. They get these people to lure these creatures out with food and other methods. In Africa, they have lost over 60% of it’s illustrious wildlife due to poaching and other forms of hunting and says that if we can’t find a safe place for them to live, habitat loss will also become a big problem.
I believe that this article brings up a lot of good points about how to preserve our endangered species and our biggest problems such as habitat loss and poaching. This brings up the question of how are we gonna give these species a safe place to live and how can you stop people from hurting these creatures just to get quick money. And the thing is, we can’t exactly take away land from people, force them out of their homes and make them move. But there’s always a way to protect our beloved wildlife and how we plan to do that is not yet certain but I’m sure we will find a way eventually.
Posted for Michael Schmitz:
ReplyDeleteArticle Title: Hard Knocks
Month of Issue: December 2015
Pages: 15-17
Summary:
This article is about football and how it has been increasingly causing more concussion related injuries. The author interviews a boy, Bryce Monti, who, because of playing football, is at risk of brain damage due to multiple concussions. The article talks about how even though there is considerable data that links football to brain conditions, such as depression, aggression, impulse control problems and even memory loss, people still want to play the game. Because of this, leagues all over the country are enacting rules regarding concussion protocol and the equipment needed to play. Washington State was the first state to enact these laws in 2009, mandating that each student athlete must complete concussion training each year to try to prevent concussions and treat them correctly when they happen. The article also mentions the new equipment to protect the athletes, but experts say that the best protection is to have as little full contact sessions as possible.
Response:
I think that concussions are going to cause many problems in the future. Your brain is the most important organ in your body, if it is damaged, than you are not able to live the life that you want to live. You will be forever impaired because it does not heal like the rest of your body does. In the article it talks about the number of g-forces a player recieves during a hit. It says that a football player revives 100gs of force, almost twice that of a heavyweight boxer! However, I do not think that football should be banned. I think that the solution is not to ban it, but to make people more aware and prevent future injuries by making sure that a player is truely safe to play when he returns, not just taking thier word for it.
Ideas: Syrian refugees, Terror attacks on the US and western nations, animals going extinct (Black Rinoes), and the polar ice caps melting
DeleteVery interesting article, I wonder why people still play football knowing the high chances of a concussion. It would be interesting if someone conduct to do a research to see why people to play football, maybe they play because it gives them confidence or helps them take out possible stress.
DeletePosted for Nick Forero:
ReplyDelete“Locked away” Upfront world issues November 23, 2015. Pages 6-7.
This article summarizes the issue regarding minimum sentencing in our nation's prisons. The article states that while our nation accounts for only five percent of the world's population, we have twenty five percent of earth’s prisoners. This unbalance, is said to be caused by harsh minimum sentencing and repeat offence laws. For example, current laws would jail a man for 25 years to life upon his fifth offence, regardless to how small or large that offense. These “tough on crime” laws, which came into effect during the cocaine epidemic, are outdated and unnecessary.
Many of these prisoners have been given an early release, and have fully re integrated into society. Another concern of such harsh sentencing laws is overpopulation, which can lead to bad conditions inside prisons. If we were to reduce the sentencing laws, this would become less of an issue. The laws were established to scare people out of committing crimes, and while it may have worked to an extent they are unnecessary. The prisoners currently serving long or life terms are voiceless to voice their opinions. I don’t agree that murderers should be let loose for no reason, but non violent offenders should have the opportunity for reevaluated sentences. Politicians are voicing the opinions of these prisoners as well as some former prisoners like Anthony Papa
Title: What Change Can You Make In The World?
ReplyDeleteIssue: Be a citizen of the world
page: 7
In 2014 a 14 year old Sam Harshbarger, has proven that all it takes is one good idea put into action that can make a difference in the world. Sam and four other US teens understood that Russia is made up of many different ethnic groups. These different cultures are losing more and more of their own identities and fewer people are speaking these languages. Along with a lot of cultural knowledge and generations being lost. This is where Sam came into play. He had the idea to make a record of the indigenous Russian legends, traditions, and artwork, and to post them all on a website where the whole global community can view and accknowledge. Sam believed that, “All people deserve to be heard.”
Many people may wonder how Sam and his four other friends were able to travel out to Russia and do all of this for them. Sam won a contest known as project: change. The contest embraces the spirit of volunteerism and and celebrates the power of individuals to make a difference. These old Russian cultures are dying out and disappearing without any notice or trace. Sam wanted to make sure these voiceless cultures and people were acknowledged and remembered as they soon vanish. He believed that everyone deserves to be heard.