The Disney Princesses and Diversity

Almost all of us are familiar with the Disney princesses and their tales. Cinderella the poor girl with an evil stepmother and stepsisters who gets her wish to go to the ball and meet her prince charming, Ariel the mermaid who just wants to abandon her life as a mermaid and live happily ever after with her prince...just to name a few. One of the things that I noticed when thinking about the princesses is how racially undiverse they are. The majority of them are white while Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, and much more recently, Tiana are the ones that are of different ethnicities. I must clear up the fact that many of these princesses were not created by Americans (or in that case Disney as well) but were adapted from fairy tales by Grimms or Hans Christian Anderson, or others too. The last princesses that were added to the "Disney Clan" were the ones mentioned before, the non-white ones. The first one added was Jasmine in 1992 while the first princess, Snow White was shown in feature film in 1937. After the release of Snow White, four more were to follow before a different ethnicity was added. Why did it take so long to add princesses of different ethnicities? Right now, there is a pretty solid ratio of white to non white princesses but this makes me wonder if Disney would have thought something like this would happen back in 1932.

More recently though, I was reading an article that described Disney's plan to release a new princess named Sofia. She will be the first Latina princess and she will be featured in a movie called, "Sofia the First: Once Upon a Time", and have a spin off television show on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior. The major contreversy stems from the fact that critics do not think she is being portrayed as "Latina enough" to really embrace the ethnicity. One of their main concerns is that her mother's complexion is much darker than Sofia's. Unlike Sofia, the mother appears to look more Latina than her. How come the princess is not this color? It took Disney long enough to come out with princesses of different ethnicities but they eventually took the ethnicity to the extreme. They tried to incorporate cultural situations and educate young girls with Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahantas, and Tiana. How come they are not going all the way with embodying the culture of the Latinos?

I think that it could be linked to the current American views towards Latinos. Many Americans are uneducated about different types of people and are quick to make assumptions and judgements. The other racially diverse princesses were not introduced when there was a direct discrimination towards that ethnicity. Sofia, on the other hand, is trying to be a  representative for the growing number of latinos in the country. All in all, I feel that Disney is trying to do good by introducing a Latina princess but I am disappointed in how poorly they are portraying the different ethnicity. What do you think this shows about American attitudes toward equality and inclusion?

Math and Science?

Earlier this week, I was watching the third presidential debate when I heard President Obama talk about the importance of math and science teachers. He said," What I now want to do is to hire more teachers, especially in math and science, because we know that we've fallen behind when it comes to math and science. And those teachers can make a difference."(the full transcript of the third debate can be viewed here). This same topic had been brought to my attention in earlier debates when President Obama talked about this same issue. I think that it is interesting that he would pinpoint this issue of education to focus on.

I am aware that the United States is well behind other countries in terms of math and science education so that is why Obama is striving for improvement in this particular area. If the United States is lacking in cutting edge math and science, then the nation will not be able to compete with other countries  This idea was also brought up in an article about Obama's stress on this issue. I think it is saying something about the goals of our country by mentioning math and science, not other subjects like english, history, arts, or foreign language. Obviously, the president does not disregard the importance of these other subjects but there is a message he wants to portray by just emphasizing two of them. This makes me wonder if other countries are the most concerned about math and science as well or if it is just the United States. What do you think?

The Need for Speed

A few months ago, I heard about a Texas highway that raised its speed limit to 85 mph and was truly astounded. Drivers around here go that speed sometimes on the highway but it is not the official speed limit. How could this be safe? On the same topic of speed, I found an article that was talking about a test run of a train that goes 111mph conducted in Illinois. This high speed train would take commuters from Chicago to St. Louis in an hour less that previous 79 mph trains. The train was tested on a 15 mile track section that is specifically designed for fast moving trains. This is not the fastest train in the United States; the fastest being the Amtrak Acela Express in the Northeast that boasts a whopping 150mph.

Courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times

Even though the Acela Express is the fastest train in the United States, it seems extremely slow when compared to some of the other high speed trains in the world. For instance, the second fastest train in the world belongs to Germany. The Transrapid TR-09 train goes a mind blowing 279 mph, that puts the Acela Express to shame. The number one fastest (conventional wheel) train is the CRH380A in China that can reach speeds of up to 300mph. Many other countries including Japan, France, Italy, and South Korea all have trains that run at faster speeds that 150mph. How come the United States in so behind in this technology when compared to other countries?

One of the theories that I have come up with is that maybe the United States Department of Transportation does not yet trust the safety of these high speed trains. They could be very concerned about the safety of the citizens (not saying that these other countries aren't) that the department would not want to risk anything. Also, maybe this is something that is not at the top of the list and they do not think that improving this certain technology would be beneficial for the entire country. The article on the train in Illinois said that "the project would create more that 6,000 construction jobs"(Sfondeles). If this estimate proves to be true, then I don't see why the government would be hesitant start this initiative of faster trains all across America where there is a need. What do you think?

Junk Food in NY Hospitals?

Earlier this week, Mr. Bolos put up a blog post where many students and I discussed the problem of obesity in American society. Many of us linked this epidemic to the lack of healthy food options, and accessibility to citizens. One student brought up a point that was about what kind of role the government should have in the regulation of unhealthy food choices. As many of us know, sometimes it is much easier, convenient  and appealing to buy a hamburger for two dollars than spend much more on an organic salad. I believe that the government should put a tax on unhealthy foods so that people will not always go the easy route by choosing the unhealthy option.

I came across an article that was talking about how Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City plans to control what is being sold in the vending machines in hospitals around the city. To me, it makes complete sense that a hospital, of all places, should not serve unhealthy food. Mayor Bloomberg said, "If there's any place that should not allow smoking or try to make you eat healthy, you'd think it'd be the hospitals." His rationale certainly makes sense because the places he wants to do this in (hospitals) really do represent the epitome of health. On the other hand, I feel as though maybe this would not be such a great idea because many people who are in the waiting rooms of hospitals are worried about their loved ones. For example, if you are anxiously sitting in a waiting room worried about your loved one and bored out of your mind,what is to say that doing some "emotional eating" to cheer up is that bad? In addition, some people could feel too controlled by the government if something like this were to take place. In the article, a retired hairdresser who was sitting in the outpatient waiting area was interviewed on the issue. He remarked, "We're being told what to eat and drink. We're not living in a free country anymore." As Americans, freedom was one of the founding ideas of our country; how many immigrants thought of the new land. It is a value that is in the First Amendment of the Constitution  It is something we all feel is so basic to humankind. Do you think that Bloomberg's actions would be limiting our freedoms?

Keep Your Coins, I Want Change

Courtesy of Emily Isaacson taken at
 Gage Park High School

In my Design class last week, we looked at various street artists and how they used their artwork to spread messages about change. We discussed how artwork does not always have to be displayed in a gallery but can be used effectively to communicate something. We were looking through images done by artist Banksy when I noticed an image that looked quite familiar to me. This past summer, I participated in a week long social justice program in which myself and a group of around fifteen other teens went to different parts of Chicago and learned about issues around us and how to be social justice activists. One day, we went to Gage Park High School on the South West Side and visited with a group of teens that call themselves VOYCE ( Voices of Youth in Chicago Education). They are part of a larger organization that is comprised of CPS student activists who want to make changes in the policies of their schools. The image on the right was painted as part of a mural on the wall of the VOYCE meeting space by students at GPHS. This image was also the one that I saw in Design class last week.

In American Studies, a major theme that I noticed has regularly poped up in discussions for the past couple of weeks has been social class. During the first weeks of AIS, we talked a lot about our own communities and how they may or may not differ from other places in the country. When we went on our field trip to Hyde Park a few weeks ago, we got to experience and explore different parts of Chicago that contrasted to the areas that many of my classmates and I live in. It was a great way to continue our learning outside of the classroom in a constructive and innovative manner.

When I first saw the image on the right, I was truly captivated by the message that it seemed to give off.  To me, this quote is saying something very real about the lives of many U.S. citizens. Although  many Americans are homeless right now, around 636,017 in 2011 according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness's website, I do not think that this message is intended to reflect only the words of the homeless. The witty play on words (coins and change) along with the image of a homeless man are meant to initially make the viewer think of the homeless demographic. As I read more deeply into the actual language, I realized that the homeless man was just a medium through which the artist used to portray a larger statement. The homeless man is saying that if he were given money, that would not help his situation. What he really wants, is change. Change in the economic system so he can get a job, the social class system, or many other interpretations. This can also be taken outside the realm of homelessness by rewording the quote, for example you could say, "I want to take action, not just list ideas". Either way, these two quotes still send out the same message that is very prominent for Americans right now especially because of the current state of the economy. 

Globalization of McDonalds: India

Image Courtesy of brandeating.com

Almost every American child can recognize the iconic golden arches that belong to McDonald's. This American fast food chain has over 12,000 restaurants in the United States but also serves customers in nearly 120 countries. I was reading an article in Newsweek Magazine that said that McDonalds announced that it would be opening two all vegetarian restaurants in India. This makes total sense at a marketing standpoint because a majority of the population in India are either Hindu or Muslim. In the Hindu religion, the cow is considered sacred and they do not eat meat and Muslims follow 'Halal' and cannot eat pork. There are only 271 restaurants currently located in India that serve some vegetarian options but cannot fully accommodate the limitations of the culture. Instead of common items such as the 'Big Mac' or 'McDouble' that would appear on a menu in the United States, these McDonalds will be serving the 'McAloo Tikki burger' and 'McSpicy Paneer' instead. I think that these restaurants will be more successful because the items available will better cater to the population. When I went to Israel a few years ago, my family and I went to a McDonalds that served kosher burgers. Since there are many Jews in Israel that keep kosher, the McDonalds served kosher burgers to fit the dietary restrictions of their clientele. Similarly, the McDonalds in Israel have changed their menu to better serve the people that will buy their product. Through the examples of India and Israel, I begin to wonder what kind of image an American company has coming into a different country. Would the population of that country prefer to have the 'American' options on their menu rather than ones that fit to their culture? To me, I would clearly think that if an American company is coming in, it should serve 'American' food. But as I mentioned earlier, through a business viewpoint, the company would not make a great profit if it did not adapt its menu to the culture. On the other hand, I feel as though sometimes, profit is not all that matters but that keeping a certain standard throughout all restaurants is the most important. This view, however, is rather idealistic and could never benefit the economy. What do you think?

To Cheat or Not to Cheat

As we kick off the new school year at New Trier, students are refreshed on the rules regarding Academic Integrity from the Student Handbook. One of the most important sections that students are aware of is about cheating.  Most every student knows that cheating is morally wrong but how come there are still some students who engage in this unethical epidemic?

I was reading an article on the New York Times website that talked about the growing number of students that are cheating, even in top notch high schools and universities across the country.One recent example includes Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan where more than 80 students were accused of sharing information via text messaging about state Regents Exams. With all of the technology at our disposal, cheating can become more widespread much quicker and fly "under the radar". Also in this day and age, it is even easier for cheating to happen because of the wide variety of resources that are available to students. For example, the Internet has opened endless doors for information but has also created the opportunity for vast amounts of plagiarism. Students can just copy and paste straight from the source into their work and call it their own. On one of the first days of class, Mr. O'Connor stressed to us the importance of citing our sources and not plagiarizing. The article also mentioned how unlike at New Trier, many students are unaware of the Academic Integrity polices at their schools and that parents do not do a great job of reinforcing these rules.

Students feel more pressure now than ever to succeed in what they do and will go through any means to reach their goals, even if this includes taking shortcuts. Donald L. McCabe, a researcher on cheating observed that students in the past who were struggling were usually the ones most likely to cheat but now, he is seeing that more high achieving students are cheating. In high school, students may feel pressure from their parents to get good grades, or even feel inadequate next to their peers. These can be reasons that drive students to cheat, McCabe describes.

Particularly in the US, there is a large emphasis on success and doing one's best. The future of the United States rests on the shoulders of young adults and some may collapse under this intense pressure. Cheating may slide by in high school and college but the act will have detrimental affects on the country if some continue down this path.