Sunday, December 11, 2011
Movie Review - River Queen
I saw this movie a couple years ago and I really enjoyed it because it's based on things that really happened. It takes place in the Middle 1800's in New Zealand during the Titokowaru's War between the Maori people and New Zealand colonial forces. The culture of the Maori people is something I find really captivating, It's similar to that of the Mic Mac people in Canada and the Aboriginals in Australia. This movie is about a white woman who has grown up among soldiers close to where the Maori people live. She gets pregnant at a young ago by one of the Maori boys, and 7 years later her son is kidnapped by his Maori grandfather. When she does finally find her boy she becomes engrossed in the village way of life but is still torn between that and her white family she grew up with. As the war becomes more intense, mostly over land ownership and the Maori people not 'cooperating,' the woman must chose a side to stay with her boy who has become absorbed in the Maori lifestyle or to the soldiers and her up-bringing. The story in this movie isn't exactly like the Native people in Canada that we've touched base on in class but there are definite similarities. The Maori people had to struggle with European settlers coming to their country and eventually taking over parts of their land. Many of the villages were asked to sign a treaty that seemed to benefit bot the European people and the Maori, but it turned out they had land stolen and wars were fought. The European of course called them savages and said their way of living was uncivilized. Today the Maori people are very rich in their culture and still have strong traditions. They do struggle and have issues with their government but not like the Aboriginals of Australia and Mic |Mac of Canada/U.S. This movie is a good look into their culture and history and if you know stories of other people (Mic Mac & Aboriginals) then you can see the connections.
Housing Crisis in Wasagamack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JriVUBjkeck&feature=related
This is a video I saw in another class. It has to do with a reserve in Manitoba that has horrible living conditions and the government keeps telling them they will fix it up but nothing has been done. A lot of people don't have running water and they have up to 15, 20 people living in a small home. This is a continuation of what we have talked about in class, Colonialism in Canada. The Native people have little or no resources to better their living situations and the government isn't much help. We talked about the stereotypes of Natives in Canada and how people think they don't have to pay taxes or they may have it a little easier because of their 'Indian status." I didn't really know that conditions in some reserves were this bad and I was amazed that something hasn't been done. The mold growing in some of these homes is very unhealthy, especially for the young children. Hopefully this issue will change, although it doesn't look like it will anytime soon.
This is a video I saw in another class. It has to do with a reserve in Manitoba that has horrible living conditions and the government keeps telling them they will fix it up but nothing has been done. A lot of people don't have running water and they have up to 15, 20 people living in a small home. This is a continuation of what we have talked about in class, Colonialism in Canada. The Native people have little or no resources to better their living situations and the government isn't much help. We talked about the stereotypes of Natives in Canada and how people think they don't have to pay taxes or they may have it a little easier because of their 'Indian status." I didn't really know that conditions in some reserves were this bad and I was amazed that something hasn't been done. The mold growing in some of these homes is very unhealthy, especially for the young children. Hopefully this issue will change, although it doesn't look like it will anytime soon.
Article review
http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/hidden-racism/Content?oid=1072189
This is an article that was in Coast that I came across and thought it was pretty interesting. It was based off of a story by the CBC that reported a Shoppers Drug Mart in Dartmouth locking up their black hair products because "black customers stole more than white customers." This in my opinion is horribly racist and I'd be extremely embarrassed if I worked at that store or was the manager who made that comment. The author of
The Coast article makes really good points. She talks about how it close to impossible to see racism in Halifax, but not because it's not there but because it is hidden, which I completely agree with. If you, your friends or family aren't a 'visible minority' than you often go about your daily business and don't think about racism or that it's going on in Halifax at all. This is until you hear about something like this in the news or a story from a friend and then most people are shocked or appalled, thinking this is strangely out of the ordinary. The author then goes on to talk about the 350 comments left on the CBC article, where a large portion of the people were defending the stores actions. I think most of this comes from the shock factor that Oh no, this couldn't happen in Halifax/Dartmouth so there must be some sort of reasonable explanation.
The author also mentions at the end of her article about Africville, which we talked about a lot in class and also watched a movie. A Black community that was basically kicked out from where they were living to make room for the city's new plan at the time. They were disbursed in two main parts of Halifax but also in Dartmouth and some families left the province, or in some cases the country. This is clear example of stripping people of their rights and in my opinion an example of racist actions. 40 years later it is still a very sensitive subject for many of the older members of the Africville community, which is completely understandable. The damage has been done and in their opinion it hasn't been reversed. Although, there is some movement and progress like the name changing of the road, the construction of a new church resembling the old one that the city tore down in the middle of the night, and also there is talk of some sort of fund, which I'm not too familiar with.
At the end of The Coast article the author gives her own examples of the racism in Halifax. Her first example is of her friend's fiance who is black male and he has not been let into a prominent bar in Halifax because of 'the way" he was dressed. I find this interesting because it has happened to a lot of my guy friends but also this is the first topic on my discussion board, which I did before I saw this article. It just goes to show that the bouncers at these bars in Halifax have done the same thing to many men. To be completely honest, I've never heard of any of my white guy friends not being allowed into a bar, except maybe for the fact that they were too drunk and couldn't control themselves. But if a black male (or anyone for that matter) is in the right state of mind, dressed appropriately (to the majority of people's standards), has money and wants to go into a bar with their friends, why are they so often stopped, discriminated and then told to leave? I've had a friend, on his 19th birthday go to a bar and not let in because his plain white t-shirt was too long. After asking the bouncer how short it has to be and the bouncer not answering him he told them it was his birthday and he just wanted to have fun with friends, still denied. The most annoying part to this is when the bouncer calls another bouncer over and says "her man what do you think about what this guy's wearing?" It feels like they're just doing it because they can and that they're on some sort of power trip. I've often heard from multiple people that the bouncers at one particular bar are racist, it's almost like a known fact. I think that more people should speak out about their experiences with this sort of thing so that the people of Halifax and Dartmouth can know that it does go on, daily, so they won't be so shocked when they hear that one random story and think it's a rare occurrence.
This is an article that was in Coast that I came across and thought it was pretty interesting. It was based off of a story by the CBC that reported a Shoppers Drug Mart in Dartmouth locking up their black hair products because "black customers stole more than white customers." This in my opinion is horribly racist and I'd be extremely embarrassed if I worked at that store or was the manager who made that comment. The author of
The Coast article makes really good points. She talks about how it close to impossible to see racism in Halifax, but not because it's not there but because it is hidden, which I completely agree with. If you, your friends or family aren't a 'visible minority' than you often go about your daily business and don't think about racism or that it's going on in Halifax at all. This is until you hear about something like this in the news or a story from a friend and then most people are shocked or appalled, thinking this is strangely out of the ordinary. The author then goes on to talk about the 350 comments left on the CBC article, where a large portion of the people were defending the stores actions. I think most of this comes from the shock factor that Oh no, this couldn't happen in Halifax/Dartmouth so there must be some sort of reasonable explanation.
The author also mentions at the end of her article about Africville, which we talked about a lot in class and also watched a movie. A Black community that was basically kicked out from where they were living to make room for the city's new plan at the time. They were disbursed in two main parts of Halifax but also in Dartmouth and some families left the province, or in some cases the country. This is clear example of stripping people of their rights and in my opinion an example of racist actions. 40 years later it is still a very sensitive subject for many of the older members of the Africville community, which is completely understandable. The damage has been done and in their opinion it hasn't been reversed. Although, there is some movement and progress like the name changing of the road, the construction of a new church resembling the old one that the city tore down in the middle of the night, and also there is talk of some sort of fund, which I'm not too familiar with.
At the end of The Coast article the author gives her own examples of the racism in Halifax. Her first example is of her friend's fiance who is black male and he has not been let into a prominent bar in Halifax because of 'the way" he was dressed. I find this interesting because it has happened to a lot of my guy friends but also this is the first topic on my discussion board, which I did before I saw this article. It just goes to show that the bouncers at these bars in Halifax have done the same thing to many men. To be completely honest, I've never heard of any of my white guy friends not being allowed into a bar, except maybe for the fact that they were too drunk and couldn't control themselves. But if a black male (or anyone for that matter) is in the right state of mind, dressed appropriately (to the majority of people's standards), has money and wants to go into a bar with their friends, why are they so often stopped, discriminated and then told to leave? I've had a friend, on his 19th birthday go to a bar and not let in because his plain white t-shirt was too long. After asking the bouncer how short it has to be and the bouncer not answering him he told them it was his birthday and he just wanted to have fun with friends, still denied. The most annoying part to this is when the bouncer calls another bouncer over and says "her man what do you think about what this guy's wearing?" It feels like they're just doing it because they can and that they're on some sort of power trip. I've often heard from multiple people that the bouncers at one particular bar are racist, it's almost like a known fact. I think that more people should speak out about their experiences with this sort of thing so that the people of Halifax and Dartmouth can know that it does go on, daily, so they won't be so shocked when they hear that one random story and think it's a rare occurrence.
Higher Learning - Review/Movie Trailor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4KVCVX1MrQ
Above I've attached a link to a movie called Higher Learning. It set on Columbus University and it shows how people from different backgrounds deal with each other, get along, or in most cases don't get a long. The first time I saw this movie I didn't really like it because I felt there was so much racism, it was depressing! After i watched it a couple times it got better but there are still some very strong views in this movie. I think a little bit of this movie can be related to McIntosh's "White Privilege" and also to Fanon's "Black Skin White Mask." This movie deals a lot about racism, but also sexism and and sexual orientation. It shows how people who grew up in different areas and environments cope with the "University life" which can some times be difficult.
Above I've attached a link to a movie called Higher Learning. It set on Columbus University and it shows how people from different backgrounds deal with each other, get along, or in most cases don't get a long. The first time I saw this movie I didn't really like it because I felt there was so much racism, it was depressing! After i watched it a couple times it got better but there are still some very strong views in this movie. I think a little bit of this movie can be related to McIntosh's "White Privilege" and also to Fanon's "Black Skin White Mask." This movie deals a lot about racism, but also sexism and and sexual orientation. It shows how people who grew up in different areas and environments cope with the "University life" which can some times be difficult.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Review
In class we talked about Colonialism, at one point we discussed Africa. I watched a movie in another class about colonialism, it was called White King, Red Rubber, Black Death. It was about King Leopold II who tried to colonize the Congo. As a result millions of Africans were killed throughout the 1880's and 1890's. The people of the Congo were tortured, raped and mutated. They were stripped of everything they had and given no rights, justice or freedom. As this was going on King Leopold was being honoured for a great humanitarian and philanthropist. I wouldn't say this was a good movie or recommend it to other people unless they were interested int he subject. It was mildly depressing to see people being treated this way. Even when someone asked a group of people on the street (recent day) who King Leopold was they said "he is our Uncle, he is the one who provided jobs for us." I'm not sure if this was a compliment or what people actually think but I was surprised to hear people praising him and not bashing him. King Leopold used the Congo to get tons of money for Belgium to build large statues and architecture which is still in place today. Belgium looked beautiful, rich and nobody questioned where the money was coming from.
Colonialism to me in general seems pretty cruel. In every case you hear of bad things going on, people being killed or culture be taken away. The only reason why larger countries decided to colonize under developed places was because they were greedy and it was easy to take advantage of "uncivilized" people. I find it surprising how a lot of the laws that were set in place when certain countries were colonized still hold some of the same framework or history. Or the fact that some of them are still even governed by the larger country in some way (like currency). I don't know a lot of history of colonialism or who "owned" what but it seems like it was almost a contest at one point like who could colonize the most places or something. At the end of this movie Leopold was exposed and a case was made against him, although the outcome wasn't the justice people were looking for.
Colonialism to me in general seems pretty cruel. In every case you hear of bad things going on, people being killed or culture be taken away. The only reason why larger countries decided to colonize under developed places was because they were greedy and it was easy to take advantage of "uncivilized" people. I find it surprising how a lot of the laws that were set in place when certain countries were colonized still hold some of the same framework or history. Or the fact that some of them are still even governed by the larger country in some way (like currency). I don't know a lot of history of colonialism or who "owned" what but it seems like it was almost a contest at one point like who could colonize the most places or something. At the end of this movie Leopold was exposed and a case was made against him, although the outcome wasn't the justice people were looking for.
Review #1
In class we talked a lot about immigrant workers and immigrants coming into Canada. I learned that Canada was and still is pretty strict about letting immigrants come in to the country. I find this kind of frustrating and upsetting. Canada has always been known for our "politeness" and everywhere you go when you mention your Canadian people are pleased to meet you, unlike Americans. I know this is somewhat of a stereotype but I took pride in being Canadian when I was in Australia travelling. So I always thought that it was easy for immigrants to come into our country, why wouldn't we want to help other people? And isn't it a benefit/compliment if people from other places want to live in OUR country? Last year my cousin got married to a girl from the Philippines, she has been living in Canada for some time and they've lived together in Fort Mac for about 4 years. When they were planning there wedding they wanted to have her mother, father and little sister come over from the Philippines for the wedding. Her family had to of course apply for temporary visas and give basically every detail about their life. They got rejected multiple times and it took my aunt and uncle getting involved and contacting their MLA and other resources to finally get them accepted. All this for just a wedding! I found it crazy that the government would be so harsh on a family who obviously wanted to just come over to see their daughter and sister get married.
Below I have attached an article I read in the Chronicle Herald in November, which I'm pretty sure we discussed in class, or something similar to it. This article talks about how confusing the immigration laws are in Canada but also that the future looks brighter. This is a statement I don't know I believe but I guess time will tell. The Minister of Immigration also states that there will be a "fast lane for the best and brightest immigrants and removing obstacles to their becoming permanent residents and citizens." This is all well and good but I feel what he is saying and what the article states kind of seems like Canada's only changing the laws and rules to benefit ourselves. Maybe that's how the system works I'm not sure. I just have friends that have come over from other countries like Bosnia, although this is when the war was going on, and their families needed to flee the country because of the war and poverty etc. To make a family wait in agony like that seems so sad. I'm not saying it should be a first come first serve basis but I think Canada can come up with some other way or process to figure this out where it doesn't have to be so harsh.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/31245-immigration-reforms
Below I have attached an article I read in the Chronicle Herald in November, which I'm pretty sure we discussed in class, or something similar to it. This article talks about how confusing the immigration laws are in Canada but also that the future looks brighter. This is a statement I don't know I believe but I guess time will tell. The Minister of Immigration also states that there will be a "fast lane for the best and brightest immigrants and removing obstacles to their becoming permanent residents and citizens." This is all well and good but I feel what he is saying and what the article states kind of seems like Canada's only changing the laws and rules to benefit ourselves. Maybe that's how the system works I'm not sure. I just have friends that have come over from other countries like Bosnia, although this is when the war was going on, and their families needed to flee the country because of the war and poverty etc. To make a family wait in agony like that seems so sad. I'm not saying it should be a first come first serve basis but I think Canada can come up with some other way or process to figure this out where it doesn't have to be so harsh.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/editorials/31245-immigration-reforms
Crash - Movie Trailor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=durNwe9pL0E&feature=related
The above is a link to a movie trailor for Crash. It doesn't have to do with anything super specific from our class but I thought it was an AMAZING movie.The movie is basically all about race. It puts many different stereotypes out on the table and in the movie every main character finds themselves in a situation which is uncomfortable for them that eventually makes them take a step back and analyze their life, choices, and their own stereotypical or prejudice views.
***** - Five stars in my books! Watch the movie if you get a chance, you won't regret it and it'll make you think and possibly analyze your own life.
The above is a link to a movie trailor for Crash. It doesn't have to do with anything super specific from our class but I thought it was an AMAZING movie.The movie is basically all about race. It puts many different stereotypes out on the table and in the movie every main character finds themselves in a situation which is uncomfortable for them that eventually makes them take a step back and analyze their life, choices, and their own stereotypical or prejudice views.
***** - Five stars in my books! Watch the movie if you get a chance, you won't regret it and it'll make you think and possibly analyze your own life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)