The concept of beauty is actually based on what society deems as appropriate or acceptable for women at the time, rather than a set of traits that is evolutionarily relevant for reproduction (Wolf).

Jim Crow was a way for the working class white people in the post Civil War south to try to cope with Reconstruction. The racist ideology was passed down from parents to children and embedded in the culture of the South (King).

"Hurt People"

"Hurt People" is definitely one of the more interesting editorials I have read this political cycle. In this piece, the author seeks to explore why people have made the decisions that they have in this election. Why are white working class people voting for a self promoting demagogue who will most likely do nothing to advance their status in society? What makes this same group of people lash out and oppress when they themselves are suffering? As the author claims, “Hurt people hurt people.” When somebody feels attacked, belittled, or in pain, it easy to blame others. Wieseltier claims that in regards to politics, people “seek saviors, not programs.” This has led to the ascension of Trump as the Republican nominee and possibly the future president of the United states when he most likely not help them anyway. “The people who support the white working class have been voting for Bernie Sanders, but the white working class has been voting for Donald Trump.” 

In the piece Leon Wieseltier draws from an array of sources, ranging from Karl Marx, to The Deer Hunter, to Adam Smith, to Ta-Nehisi Coates. I think that he uses these to try to draw from a wide base, make his opinion as relatable as possible. However, if he is trying to relate to his audience, writing this with the dictation of a dissertation is probably not the best way to go about this. Although this si technically a popular article, it is written so scholarly that it is hard to follow, using specialized language and referring to so many different sources. I picked up what he was putting down, but it was quite heavy.

Being an opinion piece about Donald Trump, it is interesting that Wieseltier only uses Trump’s name four times, one of those times being in the sub-headline. It is hard to follow that this is actually the subject of his piece. When I got to his last sentence, “Either [Trump] wins or America does,” I found myself confused as to why this was the conclusion. It is so much scholarly rambling to get to this point. I think that he was trying so hard to give himself credibility in this piece that his message got lost.

Onwuachi-Willig Response

In her article “Race and Racial Identity Are Social Constructs,” Angela Onwuachi-Willig uses statements given as facts to support her argument. She does not allow the opposition a voice in her piece. Her sentences have a tone of such finality, crafted so simplistically, that it hard to argue against her point. For example, she opens with, “Race is not biological. It is a social construct.” While her argument may be valid, she presents it as fact, disregarding the actual genetic factors that may play a part in race or racial identity. 

In the article, she discusses the implications of white people feeling racially discriminated against because of their love or proximity to a person of another race. Because they or their loved ones are discriminated against, they no longer feel the strong tie to their base race. She describes the fluidity of racial identity in contrast to the rigidity of institutionalized racism and society’s view on race.

Onwuachi-Willig backs up her statements by providing the links in her article to other sources that back up her points. It is a simple form of citing where the reader can just click the link and read the source she got her information from. She uses it more for examples than key points in the article, though. 

Angela closes the article by writing, “Where will we be 50 years from now? Need I answer that question? It definitely won't be in a post-racial society.” She asks a seemingly rhetorical question, leading enough as it is. She then implies that she doesn’t even need to answer the question, then proceeds to do so anyway. This makes it seem that although she views race as fluid, she doesn’t think enough progress is being or will be made now or in the future.

Visible and Necessary: Response to Gurdon

In the article, “Darkness Too Visible,” by Meghan Cox Gurdon, the author argues that “Young Adult” books are too depraved for the audience that they target. She provides examples of YA books corrupting the minds of the collective youth by showing them a world of grotesque exaggerations of life experiences that they have not yet imagined or experienced. Although Gurdon expresses genuine concern for teens and the sensitive content they are taking in, I must disagree with her views that YA literature is too dark for adolescents.

When I was a young teen, I read many YA books; although they did include some graphic violence and suggestive themes, they gave me a better perspective on a world I was beginning to understand. Gordon describes the YA genre as a funhouse, “reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is” (Gurdon 2). Life is not always pretty. Teen minds are definitely not all sunshine and rainbows. Young adult literature provides the opportunity for adolescents to explore fantasy, sci-fi, and real world coming-of-age stories. When children grow up, they will not be faced with anything less grotesque than what is in YA books. Even in the fantasy genre, books help to broaden the minds of the youth, expanding their understanding of the world around them. They help solidify understanding and empathy, allowing teens to enter the minds of others.

Gordon rebuts Sherman Alexie’s point that what teens see on the internet is much worse than what they find in books by stating “that's a failure of the adults around them” (Gurdon 5). If this is true, then parents should read through and investigate every books their child ever picks up. I believe, on the contrary, that parents should encourage to read widely and if there are sensitive topics, discuss with them. This is a much better model than trying to protect teens from the inevitable. If it is true that teens should not have to deal with difficult or grotesque topics, then they were born into the wrong world. Look at the news. It is full of truths that are for more terrifying than could be dreamed up in books. In books, there is a controlled environment in which young adults can safely explore thoughts and ideas in the world around them, preparing them for life and adulthood.

Ruben Review:

As I sat in the audience tonight at Castaneda's presentation/Q&A, I was appalled at the audacity of the student body. I was interested in what he had to say. He discussed the troubles he had writing the book, gave details on how he got bits of information, gave advice to those aspiring to be writers of any kind, and then proceeded to be grilled by a good portion of the student body.

I think that it is right to discuss and question an author's work in the proper context. I do not, however, think that the appropriate time is when the author is speaking in front of a group of thousands of students in front of his friends, colleagues, and subjects. Being accused of being a misogynist putting yourself on a self-righteous pedestal are no light matters. I think it was inappropriate and wrong. It was also wrong for the other students to snap and clap at a pointed question or quip with the intention of cornering a distinguished speaker.

I thought that Mr. Castaneda did a good job responding to all of the remarks and defended himself very well. Although I do not think that he should have had to spend his time on the defensive, I have an updated respect for the man now that I heard him speak about his experience and saw some of the people that he was writing about.

Reading Response:

Alexie Article: I thought that this was an incredibly powerful piece. I remember my dad getting me this book a number of years ago and I never got around to reading it. Now, I want to. I think it is important to allow teens access to as much reading material and knowledge as possible. As Alexie said, teens are living these scenarios. They do not need to be hidden from them. I also think that Native Americans are an extremely underrepresented demographic. It is refreshing to hear the point of view of Native Americans, even (especially) when it points out the contemporary cultural struggles, systematic issues, and daily plight on reservations.

Morris Article: I thought that Morris had some good points about the de-racializing and de-genderizing of the United States. Although I agreed with much of what he said, I wish he would have stopped spoiling shows and movies that I haven't finished yet. I did appreciate his references to Classic Rock.
      It is interesting how quickly the country is speeding towards all of these social barriers and binaries being broken down. It will be interesting to see how everything plus out with the current political climate and in this time where everything must be so politically correct. Will there be a backlash?

Bunn Article: When attending my Christian high school, I had to take a theology course every year. During my junior year, while studying the Old Testament, we were taught to use the "circles of context" in order to better understand the reading. Looking back, I see that we were being taught how to RLW. It is important to know the author, the purpose, the author, and the genre to fully understand the work.
      I also liked how the author of this piece taught that a reader should take into consideration how the author chose to write and to question it. Would I have done anything differently? I have never really thought of reading in this light, and I plan on trying it out to improve my literary comprehension and my own writing ability.

Questions for Ruben Castanedas:

1: Why did you decide to write your memoir at this point in your life?
2. This book covers some pretty sensitive topics. Were you worried about a public or private backlash after writing this book? Did you receive any backlash?
3. How is writing a long form memoir different than writing journalistic articles? Did you have a similar mindset?