I enjoyed reading the assignment of others. Everyone wrote clearly. Especially from assignment 3, I was able to get everyone’s imagination, and some were amazing. Overall, I think everybody did a nice job and it was more fun to read than I expected. The videos of everyone’s were also really nice. I was shocked at the quality of it. Many of them have been nice to see.
The one I particularly liked was Ikra’s “Perseguir.” The plot is about a kid growing up and eventually becoming a cartel. I thought it was a really solid story. I loved the details. For example, Ikra used cities like the Colombian city of Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast and more. I was also surprised when Ikra discussed the reality of the cartel industry. She claims the neighborhoods under the cartel are now living below the poverty rate. Children living in these systems die early because of disease and abuse. Also, I’m shocked that from 11-14 years of age, teenagers are leaving school to join gangs. I remember when I was 11-14 and was in middle school. I remember there were some cooler kids, unpopular kids, and some people who joined the gang. I’ve never heard about what happened to them, but I knew I wasn’t interested. It was somewhat of a cool thing to do at the time. I recollect only going to school as a regular student. Playing with friends and trying to escape every day from school.
I also liked “Radical Beliefs of Joe Steel” by Grinald Abzi. This film is about how radical or democratic transition is taking place in a capitalist society. After the protests, they become a democracy. Yet, Joe still doubts if whether he has done a good job. I liked this because a couple of weeks ago, I saw something similar. It was how many kids in the United States desired socialism. I thought it was amusing the United States had been in wars to preserve capitalism, however now they want socialism. As a person who grew up in a capitalist society, I think these kids want to improve their environment. The level of education is exceptionally intense, particularly in Korea. Around 1/3 of the students state they were planning to commit suicide. Because of the unpredictable future and the expectations of their parents to do well. People in Korea call it the “Most Intense Competition.”I think that some weak students from the competition will think that socialism will relieve their tension and make them live happier. In the United States, I believe that is the same situation. Maybe not that serious, but a similar reality. They have a rating system, where adults are treating these students as commodities to society rather than children. These students seem to want a happier life where they don’t get that stressed out. I agree with the improvement in schooling, but not the economy as a whole. I think there should be something to support these students.
