National Racial Healing

THE FIRST POTENTIAL BLACK PRESIDENT

"The Audacity Of Hope" could not have been a better title for the book written by the only black senator in the United States. The word audacity had to be coupled with hope explains the length of the journey this country still has to go. Let there be no doubt that important strides have been made in this country with respect to the problems posed by race and class. Racism is a social cancer that has permeated important fabrics of societY. Why does it have to be an "audacity" for any person whether black, white or poor to have hope for good things in life. It almost feels as if you have to be from a certain social class to have good things or hope for good things. I take that back, you practically have to be from a certain social class to be in a position to wish and hope for certain things.

For some who read this book and consequently gained a more personal knowledge of him, they think of him as a highly respectable individul with a lot to offer the United States and its people.

Without a shred of doubt he would make a fine president needed at this time in the history of the United States and the world than ever before. He is the real symbol of unity among black and white people in the United States in a lot of ways. Not just by virtue for his birth as a child of two people from different races but there is this thing about him that you really couldn't put your finger on but do know that he was trained for this position.

The racism which has pervaded this country and continue to fester among states and communities makes it important that a black president is elected to the white house. I know this argument can easily be attacked by asking the question; does his presidency stop racism? It certainly does not but it will add to the racial healing needed to forge a common ground for reconciliation in this country. The previous sentence does beg the questing, is reconciliation really needed. Who needs to reconcile what? This is in fact a new conversation altogether.

This country is very racially sensitive mainly because of its history and the consequent degree of diversity in every State.It is high time some of the tensions existing between black and white, majority and majority, minority and minority folks scraped off to make way for reconciliation. It stands to reason that this nation has not completely healed its wounds inflicted by some historical events. Some of these issues include Slavery, the massacre of Native Americans, the Japanese intentment camps, discriminatory immigration acts, among others which have had very dire consequences on the mindset of this nation.

Everyone may have varied views on race and racism but we can all agree on one thing, that it is very immoral and divisive. Barack Obama has proved to be a disciplined person by the way he has responded to both white and black audiences. He has shown extraordinary restraint in the way he has been slandered in the media by all kinds of opponents.

In a leader every reasonable person wants to see contructive restraint, acceptance of faults, indifference to color, appeal to middleclass values, moral aptitude and political expedience. Many people will agree with me that Barack Obama has shown this by dint of his character.

Blurring the lenses of racism will be a perfect recipe for true healing. Judging by the content of the character and not the color of the eyes or skin. What a utopia this would be. It is quite unrealistic to think that racism can be eradicated but it can play much less role in the conduct of society's business whether in popular culure, social lift, economic or political life. All one can wish for at this point is for everyone in the United States to look at Barack Obama not as black or white but as the Senator of Illinois. The result will be a whole lot of difference that will be made in the lives of those whe live and those yet to grace our world with their presence.

laugh

Sometimes you need to laugh just to release the stress of everyday hustle.


The world was built on seriousness and we strive everyday as individuals families and communites to keep this seriousness but all work and no play makes jack a dull boy while all play and no work makes jack a lazy boy.

I thought I would post this video above to get some laughs out of everyone that sees it. The funny part of this video is the surprise element associated with it. Using a public facility like this is usually only a matter of necessity. When nature calls there is nothing you can do about it. It is amazing how humans do not have control over a lot of things. Some of these things include the necessity to eat, sleep or in this case use the toilet.

The last place you want to see any surprise is the public facility which is supposed to provide you relief. The shock in the face of the visitors is what makes this video funny coupled with the fact that whatever they went in there to do vanished into thin air as they took to their heels.

Imagine going into a bathroom to relive yourself and all of a sudden a head comes out of the toilet. No doubt the first thing that comes your mind is to make sure you are not in that particular place anymore. If you went there to do whatever, it is gone in seconds.

It is not ethical to exploit someone's fear for your pleasure but at the same time it is ok to make jokes that are not dangerous like the one in this video.I put myself in the same position as the people in this video and it makes me laugh just like they do when they first get out and realise that it was all ok big prank.

Death of Kevin Carter and the Hungry boy

VICTIMS OF CIRMCUMSTANCES

This picture was taken by Kevin Carter in Sudan. It depicts a famine stricken boy who is trying to get to a United Nations Food Camp, a kilometer away while a vulture looks on, waiting for the boy to die so he can feed on him.

No one knows what happened in this episode but the journalist commited suicide from depression after taking this photograph. This was after he won a Putitzer Prize for it.

I initially decided to post my freewrite on naming ceremony in an African culture specifically Ghana. I however changed my mind at the last minute because I thought I would be making better use of space if I said something about the situations that lead to the circumstances this boy finds himself in.

What kind of world do other people throw food away on a daily basis while others do not even get to wish to have the foods being thrown away. It seems like the world is preoccupied with the spread of ideology and the pursuit of material goals at the expense of what is truly important.

Anyone who takes a good look at this image would agree with me that this boy does not have any the chances many of us have today. This happened in Sudan a place torn by war and famine. Anyone who has the opportunity to make the world a better place should not waste anytime doing so. We should all be ashamed that this happened right under our noses. What a shame!

The aim is not just to paint the true picutre of what went on in this picture but to urge all to take steps in anyway we can to ensure that this is not repeated anywhere else today or in the future. Take any chance you get at petitioning governments, individuals and corporations to fulfill their responsiblilities to the world including this situation. You would have left the world a better place. Sometimes it could mean adding a voice to a campaign, signing an email or endorsing a cause. Take a minute or five of your time and make a difference.

It is quick and easy for us to blame the "world" for the destruction and misery visited upon the citizens of earth but will do nothing to change. You do not have to be a religious person to think that this image is disgusting, provocative and absolutely unnecessary. Why should this happen in a so called advanced earth? The earth of technology and abundance.

I do not wish to lay blame on everyone else but on everyone including myself for this appalling picture but I firstly hold the leaders of the country of Sudan responsible for the carnage and untold suffering that is going on in their country. There are some very bad people in this world including some of the people of Sudan who would do everything including creating the circumstances of the image above, in order to rise to power, cling to power, spread their little religious beliefs or ideological views. These people who are in Sudan and many parts of the world including other parts of Africa, Europe, Asia and elsewhere are number one on my list for what is happening to our world today. There is absolutely no excuse for our world to be the way it is today.

The leadership of the world rests in the hands of a few countries in the world. Leadership means being able to take responsibility for the things that affect the people you lead and find viable and sustainable solutions to problems. Leadership does not mean misplacing priorities and spending resources, energy and effort at the wrong places at wrong times. Some world leaders are doing great things to alleviate suffering and ameliorate the deplorable conditions under which some people live. As much as this is laudable it should be pointed out that it is just not enough right now. More needs to be done.

There are far more resources being wasted on lavish and unnecessary material possessions , that are more than adequate to improve upon the conditions of the world. The wanton display of wealth in overly ostentatious and unnecasary wants have contributed to the waste of valuable resources that deny people what they need to survive.

The problem of the world is that, there are large segments of the world's leadership that still have their powers unchecked and easily use it to satisfy unnecessary whimps and caprices at the expense of unfortunate people like the boy above.They are happy to be reffered to as the powers of the world but they shaemelessly run away for the backdoor when it comes to real responsibility.

Muslim Women and Modesty

Cover Yourselves and Guard Against Evil

HUMOR

MCDONALDS' FAT BABY

The rhetoric this image uses is definitely humor which is used very well to create a certain impression of the original image.

This advertisement shows a smile on the face of a baby or what looks like a toddler. The image appeals directly to the emotions and sentiments of those who have concerns over capitalism and corporate responsibility to society.

The fourth mode of rhetoric which is humor is what is used in this appeal. The child is question looks kind of obese stemming from his eating of fast food which in this case is Mcdonalds.

To some extent the use of pathos is also evident by the fact that obesity is a serious societal problem, more serious because this is childhood obesity. The sense of communal responsibility on the part of corporate companies and giants has always been a subject of debate among people in society.

What is often seen is the fact that these companies make money at the expense of the health of its customers or consumers. The problem is that these consumers which is this case is almost every child are the very bedrock of the future of society.

In a population where more than half is obese and conscious effort being made to solve this problem any attempt at continuing the trend makes it a source of worry for anybody who has the future of this country at heart.

On a very serious not therefore this image creates a social and cultural commentary for people of all walks of life to reflect on. This brings to mind all the issues that are usually elusive and yet form part and parcel of our daily lives. While parents are busy and spending time with their children in much different ways than before fast food companies are also busy placing ads on television to attract both parents and children.

The responsibility does not just lie with the fast food companies who try to attract customers to their businesses but it is really with the parents who should plan better meals for their children and find alternatives to fast food. This brings to focus the different lawsuits that fast foods have received from clients and continue to receive over how their fast food made customers fat, fat to the extent that they think they deserve some kind of compensation for their situations.

Without dispute these corporations have an equal responsibility to advise the customer of the alternatives available to them in terms of what else they can do to make their children more active and burn some of these calories they pile over time.

This in fact does not refer to just one fast food joint but all the others who are well aware of the obese effects of their food can have on their clients especially the "little ones".

SEX APPEAL

CHRISTY TURLINGTON

This picture from vogue for Calvin Klein is Christy Turlington, a typical picture of models for underwear. The use of sex appeal in this picture is open and straight foward. This lady is lying in a specific position with a particular look and body language for the camera. In every sense of the phrase the sex appeal is very effective because there is very little of other elements of the picture that comes to mind other than the sexual content at first glance.

The other glaring way this advertisement makes use of sex appeal is the the fact that is an underwear ad with the model barely covering herself beyond her waist down. It is striking the way the her upper part is covered sending the attention of the audience directly to the lower section of the body.

In the light of the foregoing this is effective is portraying a sexual appeal. Whether the advert is appropriate or not depends on who is looking at it. Many cultures around the world have different views about nudity or exposing certain parts of the body of a woman. While others seriously frown upon such images others do not see anything wrong with pictures such as the one of this model above. Quite apart from the cultural factor there are many religion that expressly consider such images immoral to look at regardless of whether it is an adult looking at it or a child.

For the writer any kind of advert that exposes a woman and her body in a manner like the above is definitely inappropriate.This is just from the point of view of culture as well as being a muslim. African cultural ethics do not allow such images to be exposed and in Islam the lowest level of immorality a woman could get to is not care about how much of her body parts can be shown to the public. This may not fall in the category of the lowest level of immorality but it is without doubt not moral by Islamic standards.

It is inappropriate in the sense that if an underaged child or teenager is watching this the signals it may send will not be right. It is the responsibility of society and community to instill good morals in your youth and especially growing adolescents. There are very few parents who would allow their children to view sexually suggestive images like the one above.

The use of pathos works out very well in this image because it directly places the emotions of the audience towards feeling that there is something sexy about the underwear the model is wearing. And this is done by the way the model is lying towards the camera while giving a look that can be termed as a "sexy look". The image also exposed specific parts of the body that clearly has sexual connotations to it.

ANALYSIS

The image of the girls in Rosalind Solomon photo is vivid in its portrayal of girls in a South African School. The photo is in black and white which gives it a very sober image, not too colorful and flambouyant but very definitive in putting across what it is meant to explain.

The contrast in the color is not very strong but all the audience can really read meanings from the message easily. The lunch the girls are holding in the photograph could not be much clearer in a color background photograph.

The photographer chose six girls for a good reason which represents a good sample of what a typical female school could look like. Perhaps the photographer could have added a little more message to explain that the girls are in a school of the deaf. Without any such clear message it is difficult for the audience to come to the conclusion that this is a school for the deaf.
Probably if the picture was taken at the entrance of the school with the sign that says school for the deaf or something of the sort.

The message of the photo depends on the reader looking at it. As an African I see it as a aberration of what usually pertain in the media of what Africa looks like.The fact girls are able to attend school to the extent that they have a school specifically for the deaf is a revolutionary idea comparing to what one usually comes across in the media.

The photo taken in a specifice mood is very interesting because it represents a true and sensitive summation of the feelings and emotions that arise in a crowd or populace of people who share the same challenge. The attitude of the girls are different in a number of way. Some are just sober , others indifferent without any emotional displays while other are happy with what looks like reluctant smiles and others surprised,shocked or amazed at something.

The concepts of individuality and collective challenge that face each and everyone of them is shown in the way they are together on a lunch time. They are different from each other and yet together because they are all deaf. The hope lies in the fact that they have a good chance at education.

The most important concept is the fact that these girls do not look bad in tattered clothes or scantily dressed in a typically destitute situation like other African girls will be shown. This is what the central message of the photo is. The idea that there is not much difference between these girls and any other girls anywhere except they are deaf.

The elements that bring the picture together as a good piece include the background the number of girls he thought is enough to portray his idea of poverty,disadvantage and a hope in the fact that things are about to be better that it would have been without education.

REFLECTION

The most important aspect of human society is our ability to look out for the downtrodden in society. A world in which being challenged physically will not be a barrier to achieving our fullest potential. Reaching a potential include being able to access all the tools necessary to reach this goal. Fundamental to these tools is basic education which not many people have access to.

Depending on the kind of society in which one is born or raised being challenged could mean a lot of things. I could mean being blind,deaf,leper or sitting in a wheel chair. The interesting part of this phenomenon is that being a female or male can add to the woes of a challenged person or ameliorate the conditon.

In many African societies including South Africa, in which the issues of gender are still evolving and the place of the woman is society in constantly being redefined in society being a woman is one thing and being deaf is another. It certainly adds up to the challenges of womanhood and being an African.

The most important elements which need to be portrayed for the African girl is surely painted well in rosalind Solomon's picture.

plight of the deaf girl in an environment is certainly clear but at the same time society is making significant strides in improving the lot of the challenged in society. The mixed feelings that come with such thoughts are reflected on the faces of these girls as some of them pose for the picture while others stay indifferent to the photograph.

OBSERVATION

This image by Rosalind Solomon is a photo of six girls in South Africa in a school for the deaf. In this image the girls are wearing what looks like a school uniform seeming to be very aware that they are being photographed.

The girls look like they are in their teen years with the younges close to thirteen and the oldest most likely around sixteen or seventeen.

The mood of these South African girls is very varied showing surprise,shock,forced, smile and indifferennce. The girls are shown holding sandwiches which comprised bread and something in the middle of it. If it is lunch there certainly is no drink that goes with it.

None of the girls have any long hairs on their head, in fact all of them have very short hair but still portrays the image of the regular school going age. Even though not the same image of the girl people might be familiar with in a western type society such a Europe or the United States where a photograph of six different girls will show different hairstyles or even hair color.

The girls are dressed in what looks like decent clothes or uniforms with each and every one of them in black shoes and socks. The building behind them which can safely be assumed to be the shool is a brick built house.

The background looks like a typical sunny day in South Africa with shadows of the girls on the concrete ground and grass they stand on. The picture in in black and white which does not give too much of a color contrast to bring into focus what other elements can be gleaned from the photograph.