REAL LIFE PLANTATION!

I had the chance this week to drive across the heart of the South, twice. I have done this every year as long as I can remember, but I’m usually either asleep or watching a movie. But this time I decided to keep my eyes glued to the landscape. Well what I saw was pretty interesting. For example, driving down the freeway in the heart of Tennessee, I saw a sign for a “Real Life Plantation”. You could see it from the highway, it was a large house made out of what looked like cardboard overlooking about half an acre of land with a huge sign saying “Real Plantation” on the roof with a letter or two falling off.

After I overcame the sticker shock that they were actually advertising a plantation, I thought that if you’re going to sell yourself in that way, you could at least make it nice. Like make a real house on an open field, without the huge sign that needs a paint job. It really shows you how much this is a part of their identity. Even though plantations are widely considered a negative thing, it’s such a part of Southern culture and southern identity that they’d rather do it poorly, then not do it at all. It also makes you wonder about how “they” see plantations versus how “we” see plantations. I hate you use a broad term like “the north” but I have to in this situation. The North probably sees plantations as symbolic of oppression and rebellion, while a Southerner could see it as a symbol of the glory days, when the only thing larger than their property was their wallets. This resembles what we talked about with the south retaining their individual identity, completely separate from the North’s after the end of the war, and even after Reconstruction.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing that they wish to draw tourist in this way; it’s just pretty interesting that that is how they wish to embrace their past. Could it truly be better to do it poorly, than not do it at all though?

He's always talking about Puerto Rico!

I walked into my living room yesterday to find my mom, brother, and sister all watching American Idol. I don’t really watch the show consistently, but I do know a lot of the people on it right now and when I came into the room the only Puerto Rican contestant was currently singing. I like him, he’s nice, modest, and with his modesty he ends up being quite funny, and after I announced this to my brother, he said, “I don’t really like him”. I asked why, and my brother said, “I don’t know, he’s always talking about Puerto Rico” (Keep in mind my brother is eleven). I laughed and jokingly said, “What are you? Racist?” My brother, in defense, turned and literally said, “What are you talking about Jackie, racism is between whites and blacks!” My jaw dropped, and I instantly asked him who told him that. He blushed, realizing he obviously said something incorrect, and I continued to explain exactly what racism really is.

Now, my brother is only eleven, but at the same time, he’s eleven! He’s not five, but he’s not yet a young man, so part of me expected it, and the other part was surprised he didn’t even really know what racism is. This got me thinking about the way race, and racism is taught, especially in junior highs. When I look back, I don’t actually remember ever talking about race in my junior high classes. That upsets me.

We are spending so much time talking about the banning of books for things like racial slurs. I think banning of any type of book is bad, not only because I think it’s the parents job to both monitor and push their children when it comes to reading and learning, but I don’t see what good comes from banning a book!

Honestly, banning Huckleberry Finn from high schools is not going to make racism go away, and it’s not going to make slurs go away either! In my mind, it’s actually going to promote ignorance! Kids, even young kids, need to embrace racial differences, because it’s our differences that make us human beings! (May sound kind of idealistic but hey) So what I think needs to be done, is just that. We need to stop banning books because they make us uncomfortable, use good judgment on the maturity levels of the students reading said book, and most importantly, acknowledge that we are all different! Yes we are equal, and YES we are all human, all deserving basic rights, but race, at least the social construction, is immensely important for self identity and much more.

And maybe if you want the idea of race to go away, better education on race and science will help show our younger generations that, though are skin colors are different, we all come from the same thing, the same core. We are all people.

Ticking Time Bomb

Last night my family and I taped a new episode of 24, and then stayed up late so we could watch it conveniently without commercials, and two things amazed me. One is this ticking time bomb scenario, which the entire episode was based around! Do you allow Jack to beat one guy’s face in, if it could (key word could) save hundreds of lives? Most people are against the idea of torture, but not if they’re told it could save many more lives, but what people don’t understand is there is very little room for compromise. It hard to say, “I’m okay with torture, sometimes…” Reality doesn’t work that way. If you say yes to torture in these situations, you’re saying yes to torture in every situation.

However, like in last night’s episode, it’s hard to look a man in the eye, know he could be the key to saving many lives, if only you could press a little harder. How do you justify the deaths of the people that could result from not pushing the suspect harder? But once again, there is little to no room for compromise. If you say no to torture, you say no to torturing everybody, no exceptions.

This is what governments have struggled with in our new “ethical age”. Our values are constantly changing, from decade to decade, administration to administration, and these issues change with them. So is there a “right” answer? Well no, because it’s an opinion, but is there a moral thing to do? I think this is one of those things we just can’t answer, but if we ever want to truly be the role model we need to realize we are, and then we need to approach these hard issues head on. Without compromises, no more picking and choosing appropriate situations.

Look for my other issue with the 24 special in my next blog post!