Race: The Power of an Illusion

For this week’s event analysis, I attended the viewing of a documentary concerning race in the basement lecture room of Knott Hall on Tuesday, April 24th. The documentary was titled, “Race: The Power of an Illusion”, and consisted of two different part. The first part was called “The Difference between Us” and the second part was called “The House We Live In.” This document and the discussion that ensued gave me a very good understanding of what race really is and the realities that different races are challenged with every day.

In Part I, “The Difference between Us,” the documentary is mainly concerned with a classroom of students who are studying genetic code and how it compares to race of a person. The students first take guesses to see who they believe they share most in common in terms of biological or genetic code. Automatically, the students assume that they are going to have the most in common with the people who share the same race as them. Eventually, the students find out by surprise that race does not necessarily mean that each person shares a similar genetic code, or most commonly known as DNA. This discovery was also fairly large surprise to me as well. For years, scientists have been trying to figure out how to classify and characterize the different races, but they have not found any concrete solutions. So in reality, the difference between races is really just the minor differences in appearance. Even though it is extremely hard to believe for some, race is not a biological fact.

In Part II, “The House We Live In,” the documentary takes a new focus which is concerned with the so-called downward spiral that minorities must struggle with when moving into a predominately white neighborhood. When nonwhites begin to move in, any white homebuyers now begin to perceive that the neighborhood is in a decline. Next, more and more white residents will move out and leave the community due to the fear of losing property value. As a result, the whites take their wealth them and the value the property does in fact decline. The consequences of this occurrence are that taxes will go up and services will suffer. This can be understood as one of the causes for tension between the various races. However in reality, there is no particular race to place the guilt with, as we all share responsibility in a community.

Returning to the first part of documentary, we learn that race is not biological, but yet racism still exists in the real world. “Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources.”[1] Throughout history, the government and other social institutions have given advantages and better resources to people considered to be of the white race. At the end of the first part, the students in the class are asked whether or not they would change their race if they had the chance. Due to the fact that I am happy to be born the person that I am, I would not trade skin colors with another person if possible. This documentary has helped me recognize that I sometimes take my status of being a white male for granted. It is not only important, but it is also the responsibility of the white class to support and aid people of a minority status. Whether they are aware of it or not, the white majority class has been channeled with wealth, power, resources that needs to be shared among all.

[1] Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race (Taken from the handout given at the lecture).

Formstone!

For this week’s event analysis, I attended the Charm City Cinema at the Andrew White Student Center. The event was supposed to consist of two short films titled “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces” and “Little Castles.” Unfortunately, the second movie was not viewed due to technical difficulties. Despite this setback, I was still able to gain something and take meaning from this event.

The film that I was successfully able to view was titled “Little Castles.” This film mainly discussed the architectural phenomenon that surrounds the city of Baltimore known as “formstone.” Formstone is the technique of shaping a plaster compound on a wall to make it appear as separate layered stones or rocks. Often, it is used as a permanent alternative to the continuous and sometimes annoying hassle of having to repaint walls. Also, this method is mostly used on row-homes made with brick fronts. Nails hold chicken-wire against the brick which then provides an ideal surface for the formstone to bond.

Formstone is most commonly associated with the city of Baltimore and its’ surrounding counties. For over 50 years this technique of architecture has been used in the city. “Little Castles” offered a variety of perspectives from the inhabitants of the city. There was a clear split in opinion with people in or not in favor for the use of formstone. To my belief, it seemed that people that were relatively new to the city found this type of wall to be despicable. In the other respect, people that have been living in the city for some time seemed to have developed affection for the formstone. And of course, there are always people who have neutral feelings. They are the ones who are not quite fans of the walling, but also they would not be willing to pay to have it removed.

The director of the film and also Baltimore native John Waters described formstone as “the polyester of brick.” However, he has since grown to both accept and love it in its own way. In a similar way, I share the same experience with the director. My brother lived in Baltimore for two years and I was a frequent visitor. When I first became acquainted with the formstone which was on the front of his residence, I thought it to be very foreign and strange. However as time progressed, I noticed that much of the city was covered in it and I began learning to love it.

Since formstone has been associated with the city of Baltimore for a good amount of time now, it would be a shame to see it disappear. It has since developed into one of the several important symbols that represent the city. When I think of Baltimore, I think of the Orioles, the harbor, and even the traditional painted screens that I have recently learned about. Now after seeing this short film, I will now include formstone when thinking about my vision of Baltimore.

Finding Comfort

The two poems “The Path to the Milky Way Leads through Los Angeles” by Joy Hargo, and “A Bedtime Story” by Mitsuye Yamada both present themes of nature and culture. In Yamada’s poem, a clash between American and Japanese cultures is brought into view when a perspective of nature is contrasted. Likewise in Hargo’s poem, a clash between American and Native American culture is seen when the theme of finding comfort in nature appears.

The poem by Mitsuye Yamada is about the speaker’s Papa telling an old Japanese legend of an old woman. The woman in the story went around town looking for a place to stay the night, but no one offered any shelter. As a result, she found rest at the top of a hill which overlooked the town, and by nighttime she was able to see a wonderful sight of nature at night. The old woman goes on to say, “Thank you people / of the village, / If it had not been for your / kindness / in refusing me a bed / for the night / these humble eyes would never / have seen this / memorable sight.” The fact that she thanks the people of the town and calls them kind just goes on to show how humble of a woman she really is. This poem really nails in the theme of how different cultures can find comfort in different ways. The child listening to the story of his Papa would probably be expecting a comfortable bed to stay the night. However, the old woman in the story was able to find comfort under the full moon in the night sky. The comforting moon that appears goes on to suggest that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The poem by Joy Hargo is recent poem about a Native American experiencing the foreign culture of Los Angeles. The speaker, who is Native American, is able to see both the beautiful and strange aspect of this American society. The speaker finds beauty in the nature in the city, such as the night sky and the feeling of the summer season. Similarly, the Native finds strangeness in the fact of how Americans are heavily obsessed with material possession and becoming famous. Despite the strangeness in the culture, the speaker is still able to “find(ing) gold in the trash of humans’ and to “collect the shine of anything beautiful.” Nature is the gold and beauty that the speaker finds comfort and is able to relate back to her own culture. Once again, the theme that beauty is in the eye of the beholder appears.

Panel of Writers

On Friday, March 16th, the Loyola Department of Writing hosted a Panel of Writers event in McGuire Hall. The panel consisted of four writers who have been living and working in Baltimore City. Each of the writers was able to discuss both the challenges and the pleasures of writing about such a complex and great city like Baltimore. The four writers of the panel were Gregory Kane, Elizabeth Evitts, Chezia Thompson Cager, and Jane Conly. As a group, they represented a wide variety of backgrounds and were therefore able to give interesting and unique points of view.

The first writer of the group to talk was the short and simple Gregory Kane. He has been a columnist for the Baltimore Sun newspaper for a good amount of time now. Perhaps, I thought that Kane was the most interesting of the four writers. He immediately caught the audience’s attention by making small jokes and trying to relate to the Loyola community. However, Kane still went on to describe his career as a writer in Baltimore. As a columnist, Gregory Kane tries write as closest to the truth as he possibly can. The good part of his job is that there is no end to material he has to write about, from events in politics to incidents in crime. Often times, he struggles with public officials and tries to get them tell him the story of which he wants to write about. The most popular response Kane gets from public officials is that the incident is “under investigation,” which really just means that the officials do not want to let the public know what is going on. For incidents such as these, Kane can easily get the same desired information inmates. Even though it may sometimes be a struggle to get the “truth” in a story, Gregory Kane still enjoys writing because he is able to write about the people in the community of Baltimore.

The next panel writer to talk was Elizabeth Evitts. Evitts is the editor-in-chief of the Urbanite magazine, which is a monthly periodical published in the city. Even though the magazine is concerned with the city, an interesting fact is that 40% of the readers live in the outlying communities of Baltimore. These people that may have been forgotten are the ones that work in and also come to the city for purposes such as entertainment. These people are just as important to the city as they are to the magazine. As editor-in-chief, Elizabeth Evitts usually tries to sit back, and in a way, let the stories of the people tell themselves. This concept that Evitts has developed has been inspired from the great Jane Jacobs. Jacobs had a great talent for playing the role of observer, and using research to make a great story. Writers of Urbanite are able to imitate Jacobs because the magazine is only monthly periodical which follows a certain theme. With this time frame, writers are able “sit” on their story for longer to make sure that it is worthwhile.

The next two writers to speak at the Panel of Writers were Chezia Thompson Cager and Jane Conly. Cager is an accomplished poet essayist and professor at Maryland Institute College of Art, and Conly is an award-winning author of children's literature. Both of these writers read from pieces of their extraordinary works of literature. Using their respective talents, the writers each painted a realistic, yet beautiful picture of Baltimore. Cager said that writing was her way of seeing life, and that despite the problems and issues of the city, she is still proud to call the city of Baltimore her home.

I thought that the Panel of Writers event was very interesting, and even entertaining. As said before, the panel was a very diverse group for only containing four people. In a way, this group represented the clash of cultures that can be found throughout the city of Baltimore. The main point that each of these writers touched upon is that a city definitely needs diverse cultures and it also needs the beautiful architecture to go along with it. However, the most important necessity of a city such as Baltimore is the PEOPLE themselves.

A Relationship

The poems “l(a” by E.E. Cummings and “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams both present the reader with unconventional styles and thoughts that make the poem difficult to understand at face-value. However upon further analysis, the poems appear to be discussing different types of relationships. Both the form of these poems and the words that are stressed contribute to the overall meaning and the type of relationship being discussed.

“l(a” by E.E. Cummings is a very strange poem just because of the form in which the poem is written. Words are broken up into a couple letters and parentheses are put in between a phrase. In complete words, the poem says, “A leaf falls” and “loneliness.” “Loneliness” is broken up with “a leaf falls” written in between. When I thought about this poem, I pictured a big tree with many leaves. When a leaf falls, it becomes separated from the rest, just like the word “loneliness” in the poem. This image can also go on to symbolize the relationship between a mother and her children. A mother tree bears a leaf child that will eventually one day grow old and become independent from the mother. This poem is a good example of a mother-child relationship.

“This Is Just to Say” by E.E. Cummings is basically an apology between what seems to be two people in a friendly relationship. The speaker in the poem asks to be forgiven for eating the other person’s plums that they “were probably saving.” To add to the dilemma, the speaker goes on to say that the plums eaten “were delicious.” The fact the speaker ate the plums knowing that the other person was saving them and then edges it in by saying how good they were just shows the type of relationship. The two would have to either be very friendly or maybe even be a couple. It is an apology for the sake of saying it as the title suggests, “This Is Just to Say.” The speaker just asks for forgiveness just so that the two can go on with their relationship.

An Urban Vision

From January 25 to February 23, 2007, the humanities symposium collaborated with Loyola College’s Julio Fine Arts Gallery to present an event called “Urban Visions”. The event featured an exhibition of artists and writers from the city of Baltimore. Artists and writers included Liz Bowie (journalist, Baltimore Sun), Andre Chung (photography, Baltimore Sun), Ellis Marsallis, III (t.p. Luce) (photography), Tony Shor (painting), and Dee Herget and Tom Lipka (painted screens). All of the works by the artists and writers came together to provide a spectator a true feeling for what the city of Baltimore is like. Baltimore is full of people and culture and these artists made an attempt to represent them.

Two of the artists that I thought really captured some of the traditional culture of Baltimore were Dee Herget and Tom Lipka. Both of these artists are known for their painted (window) screens. Screen painting was an art form on its way to being lost and forgotten until these artist were able to bring it back to Baltimore. Their painted screens depicted views of the city, as well as happy scenes of the countryside. This art form reminded me of the lecture that James Howard Kunstler gave several weeks ago. Kunstler spoke of a “new urbanism” that we must strive to build as we move on to the future. Mainly, he spoke of how people have lost the ideals of art and quality in a city which can actually put the city into being. Instead of building a building for the sake of it, that building should also be aesthetically pleasing because that is where people really able to draw feelings about the city. It is the small details and qualities in city that develop a reputation and allows it to thrive, even if someone had to put a little extra effort into it.

In the same way as the screen painters were able to display some of Baltimore’s culture, the photographers of the exhibit were able to successfully capture some of the life and the people of the city. Ellis Marsallis, III displayed some of the most moving photographs for me. He gave viewers a glimpse in black and white of the lives of some of the lower class families of Baltimore. It was a glimpse of life that was not only raw reality, but it was also community. Most of these photos were taken on sides of streets, where most of their daily life occurs. Daily life ranges from children hanging around having a good time, to older teenagers living alone and in fear with the belief that violence is a solution. Marsallis depicted a sometimes harsh reality of poverty that is often forgotten or just pushed away to the side by some. His photographs helped me to realize how grateful I am to be a student at Loyola College.

Being grateful for the opportunity given is an important lesson to learn, but another thing that I got out “Urban Visions” was the importance of developing a sense of community. I do not originate from the city of Baltimore, but I do currently reside in it. Getting involved with the city, the people, and the culture is what the Year of the City theme is all about. Getting involved and providing service to the city will be a goal of mine as long as I am resident of the great city of Baltimore.

From “The Long Emergency and the Destiny of Cities”

On Tuesday, February 20, James Howard Kunstler presented his lecture titled “The Long Emergency and the Destiny of Cities,” which was also the keynote address for the 2007 Humanities Symposium of Loyola College in Maryland. Most of what Kunstler addressed in his talk came from his most recent book, The Long Emergency: Surviving the Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-first Century. The book and his lecture focused on the oil crisis and the importance of the new urbanism in cities.

The first topic that Kunstler addressed was the national or global oil predicament. Not only are we in trouble with decreasing national production of oil, but more importantly the world is being affected by increasing production. One of the most obvious effects of increased production is the change in climate. James Kunstler only sees these problems getting worse. Mainly, instead of the United States looking for alternative fuels, they look for alternative ways to import different sources of oil, even though it may be of low quality. Lower quality fuels produce more hazardous chemicals in the world’s atmosphere. A new approach needs to be taken.

Unfortunately, taking new approaches to situations does not come easy for Americans. One interesting quote that Kunstler gave was one of the Vice President Dick Cheney, saying that “the American way of life is non-negotiable.” This just shows where the American mindset is at. Instead of putting a real effort into finding a better solution, we are stubborn and want to live the comfortable lives that we currently preside in.

Kunstler later went on to discuss the reasons why we as Americans have impediments to thinking outside the box. One impediment is the belief that dreams come true when you wish upon a star. Problems do not just go away when you ask them to. Therefore, it is our responsibility to deal with the problems at hand as a mature adult would. Another impediment is the worship of unearned riches, or in other words, the belief that one can get something for nothing. One important life lesson that I have learned is that there is only one sure-way path to success, and that is though hard work. Sure you can get lucky once in a while, but nothing can replace or have an equivalent value to hard work.

If we work hard and seriously as Americans, we can overcome the obstacles at large. Even if this may mean the downscaling of America, or making daily life more local, changes need to be made. We can not just sit around and hope that “technology” will fix everything for us. For example, one real-world improvement that can be worked on is the railroad systems. Making this system faster and more efficient is a problem that we are capable of completing.

James Kunstler did not leave the audience with much hope until he put the crowd into action. He said that the hope has to be generated by us, particularly since we are college students. We the students have the ability to make a difference and can make things happen since we are the future of the world. To sum it all up, I will end as Kunstler did by saying, “Go forth and do good things!”

Assumptions

Often times in life, things are not as they seem to be. People can make assumptions that do not always lead them into the right places. Examples of this can be seen in the poems of “The Video” by Fleur Adcock, and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke. These poems show how a person may make an assumption or look too deeply into a subject, and as a result misconceives what is actually occurring.

Fleur Adcock’s “The Video” is about the miracle of giving birth to a child. Upon first examination, this every day event is what the poem seems to be about. Giving birth to a child is usually a very happy and joyous event for most families. Therefore, the reader of this poem will already have preconceived thoughts about what may happen. In the final lines of the stanza, the sister of the baby child watches the video of the birth in reverse. After thinking about these lines, it is possible to read too deeply into things and make it seem that the sister wants the newborn child to go away. However, the final lines are meant to be humorous and to capture the awe of the event.

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is another poem where preconceived thoughts come into play. Due to the content of alcohol and the word “beat”, one can easily assume that this poem is about child abuse. Fortunately, the final lines of the poem suggest an alternate interpretation by saying that the child was “clinging” to his father’s shirt as he is brought to bed. Thus suggest that the child did not want the moment of waltzing with his father to end. This poem shows how assumptions can lead to a complete misunderstanding.

It is a common knowledge that is a bad habit to make assumptions. As we can see with these poems, false assumptions can take meaning away and make a joyous event into ones that are completely different. Some people need to learn how to be more open to others and to be more aware of what is happening in the world around them.

From “The City, and Cities, in Greek and Roman Cultures”

On a Monday evening, Professor Mary T. Boatwright of Duke University gave a lecture that was titled, “The City, and Cities, in Greek and Roman Cultures.” At the time, I had no idea what to expect because I had only a vague knowledge of Greek and Roman society. However, as Professor Boatwright began her lecture, I immediately felt comfortable when she mentioned one of the class readings within the first couple of sentences. The text that she decided to relate to was The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. The Professor started out by saying that Jacobs’ novel was an inspirational text and it presented themes that she would talk about as she gave the Greek and Roman history in a “nutshell.”

One of the important themes that Professor Boatwright discussed is the idea of a city as a community. That is to say, that a city cannot survive without the communities or inhabitants that live in it. They depend upon each other for their survival. A city is more than just the physical reality that composes it. In a way, a city develops its own sense of style due to all the various types of people that live there. Consider this; would the buildings, statues, and neighborhoods of America have the same significance if people were not involved with them? The answer to this question would be no. The people are the ones that physically use cities and make these things significant.

One way that people can bring significance to their city is to overcome obstacles and break barriers together. Barriers can be found in various physical and cultural forms. The idea of barriers is one of the prominent themes in the novel by Jane Jacobs. She says that, “This is serious, because literal and continuous mingling of people, present because of different purposes, is the only device that keeps streets safe. It is the only device that cultivates secondary diversity.” When people “mingle” together and overcome diversity, good things can happen, such as keeping the streets safe and shaping the way people view the city from all around the world.

Professor Boatwright continued with the theme of community throughout her lecture. In Greek and Roman culture, the polis, or city, is defined as a “community of families and aggregations of families, in well-being, for sake of a perfect and self-sufficing life.” Everyone dreams of the perfect life, but unfortunately it is not a reality. Just as families can have their own problems, cities can face their own difficulties. However, it is up to the people in the city to come together as a community and make the best situation possible.

I have finally come to a real understanding for the purpose of the Year of the City. In an effort to destroy cultural and physical barriers, Loyola has decided to take a step forward by truly getting involved in the various opportunities that the city of Baltimore has to offer. Whether it is weekend excursions, or volunteering at a service site, the Year of the City is meant to break barriers and to further develop that idea of city as community.