Comparitive blog group A: Hippies – the outsiders of the USSR
“Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me; we are enemies. Begone, or let us try our strength in a fight, in which one must fall.” (Shelley, p 107.) The monstrous creation tries to communicate with his creator, feeling rejected from society. However, Victor does not want to in spite of fear, the unknown and misunderstanding of what he has made with his own hands. This reminds me of the youth hippie’s movement in the USSR back in the 1970’s. A socialistic regime created a group of people who wanted to fight back the monotonous and grey system. But were not able to exist freely with the government and special forces, like the KGB, holding them back and straying them away from “normal” society. “Many were dissatisfied with the communist regime and its ideology, while others simply wanted to live outside the politicized system. The word “hippie” in the minds of the mass was conjured negatively, a “hippie” was seen as an unclean young man with long hair, a slacker, often apolitical and unprincipled – in short, a complete contrast between the image of the “Soviet Man”, “builder of communism.” (M24.ru)
Just like Victor announced his creation a monster, the peaceful youth of the Soviet Union was looked down upon as hideous, not normal; an enemy to the society. But instead of being dangerous, Victor’s creation and the youth movement were misunderstood and lonely, with no one to support their morals. Both were left oppressed and both became outsiders of society. However, the youth movement had each other, but the monster was truly on his own to fight against his creator’s hatred.
[Hippies being oppressed by Police, Moscow, Russia]
WORKS CITED
“A Star Nicknamed Sun: Who Was The Father of Hippies in the USSR.” Online Article. M24.ru. N.p., 04 June 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2015. <http://www.m24.ru/articles/46485?attempt=1>.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus. S.l.: Simon & Brown, 2011. 107. Print.
Summary Blog Post (Group A):
The Article “In America, black children don’t get to be children” by Stacy Patton is about cases where black children are put in a position that is inferior to whites, even when they are the targets. It is an article that it’s main objective is not only to speak upon the innocence of the black youth in certain instances, but also to shed light on the idea that in America, Black children aren’t assumed the same purity as white adolescents. Two central examples the author uses in order to get his message across are the Trayvon and Brown case. She references the Ferguson case and how Wilson describes the confrontation between Brown and himself to the Jury. He claims that when the conflict took place, he felt like a “5-year-old holding on to Hulk Hogan.” This (to some extent) is an exaggeration of what took place, which is worded to mislead you and make you forget the fact that Brown was still not an Adult. Stacy Patton also uses the Trayvon Martin case as an example as well, referencing the claim by George Zimmerman. Zimmerman made the situation seem as if he was at a complete disadvantage throughout the conflict and he was forced to use a lethal weapon. Keeping in mind the theme of our class, in each of the cases that the author mentions, the defendants all have something in common — they describe their situations as being the inferior white man who were attacked/provoked and at a disadvantage to a (what we consider to be) monstrous-like black adolescent. Stacy Patton claims that after doing much research, it is evident that after the civil war, when blacks were freed and obtained equal rights, new ways to maintain the racism and inequality in American life were produced.
Group A Summary Blog: Till Packet
The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi is a news article By William Bradford Huie, who reveals a story about a youth negroe’s death in Mississippi back in the 1950’s. The article shows a detailed timeline and how J.W. Milam, or “Big Milam” has killed Emmett “Bobo” Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago. Till was visiting his relatives in Mississippi and crossed roads with Milam, playing a joke on his sister-in-law – asking a white woman out for a date. The story reflects how powerful the white male was and the racial distinction between the whites and the Negroes. Milam wanted to teach the boy a lesson, feeling offended, “Niggers ain’t gonna vote where I live. If they did, they’d control the government. They ain’t gonna go to school with my kids. And when a nigger gets close to mentioning sex with a white woman, he’s tired o’ livin’. I’m likely to kill him.” And Milam killed Till, after picking him up at his relatives house in the middle of the night, but was left unpunished.
The Murder of Emmett Till is a feature article by Randy Sparkman, written in 2005, revisiting Huie’s article and investigation of Till’s death. The department of Justice at the time exhumed Till’s remains and case to seek a measure of Justice. Sparkman tells the detailed story of Huie’s investigation and how he worked with the people involved, offering money for answers. He reflects the risks and hardship of Huie working on a civil right piece in a southern state back in the day. Although, some connections were made to the Till killing, it is hard to tell if these possible participants Henry Lee Loggins, 81 and Carolyn Bryant Donham, 71 had any choice but to obey orders from Milam. Even though the article of Huie is not able to answer many questions about the killing and who else was involved, it was a courageous step towards revealing racial brutality.
(p.s. I started writing my blog answer straight in the blog post section, when my browser glitched and deleted EVERYTHING 🙁 lesson learned — work in Word, copy to blog. Be careful, y’all.)
Group B, Summary Blog: In America, black children don’t get to be children
In the Washington Post opinion article “In America, black children don’t get to be children,” Stacey Patton states that black boys and girls in America are not seen as children, but as menacing threats to white lives. According to Patton, Black children are not afforded the same presumption of innocence as white children, especially in life-or-death situations. Furthermore, Patton goes on to say black childhood is considered innately inferior, dangerous, and indistinguishable from black adulthood. To illustrate her point, Patton mentions the cases following the deaths of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Emmett Till, and Tamir Rice. In each case Patton illustrates how each victim was seen as a threat. Patton recalls how each child was stripped of their childhood by being referred to as “young man, demon, aggressive, and etc.” Additionally, Patton uses each case to point out that the dangers black children face from being profiled and targeted for arrest and incarceration are firmly rooted in history. According to Patton, during the Jim Crow era psychologists tested and compared the behaviors of white and black infants and concluded that black babies were born innately inferior and animalistic. Furthermore, as objects of experimentation by doctors or abuse by the state, babies and other children were exposed to the dehumanizing and violent logic of racial classification and domination. Patton shows the paradox of black children being cast as adults while black adults are stuck in a limbo of childhood by being viewed as uncivil, irresponsible, and criminal. In the end, Patton points out words of caution by black parents to their children about the police and white people aren’t enough to overcome the history of racist studies and negative perceptions of black children.
Summary Post (Group C): Darren Wilson’s Testimony
This typed dialogue of Officer Darren Wilson’s full grand jury testimony was taken place on August 9th, 2014. In this questioning, the Officer stated his story of the encounter with Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson. Wilson received a call for a sick baby during his 6:30AM to 6:30PM shift. Arriving at Canfield Green Apartments, where the fevered baby was located, an ambulance came at around the same time. On the radio, Officer Wilson heard a call being made regarding a stealing in process.
After leaving the apartments, Wilson headed west on Canfield Drive, where he first encounters two males walking in the middle of the road. After analyzing the two boys, Wilson identified them as the two culprits of the robbery due to the box of cigarettes in one of their hands he saw as they passed his car window
Officer Wilson backed up his car to block the path of the two males and attempted to open his door twice but was shut both times by Brown, the larger individual. After blocking the Officer’s door the second time, Brown also attempted to enter the automobile and punch the officer.
Brown hit the officer physically multiple times, resulting in swelling of the cheeks, bruising, and scratches on the neck. After the injuries to the face, Officer Wilson grabbed his gun, but struggled when Brown reached for it as well and aimed it towards the officer’s hip. With the gun’s point pinned to his leg, the officer had to move quickly away. When he pulled the trigger twice, nothing happened. On the third pull, it fired, breaking the glass. As the battle progressed, Brown became more angry than before.
When Brown began to run away, Officer Wilson ran out of his car to chase after him. Brown then reached his hand under his shirt, which rose all the officer’s attention to his hand movements. With a tunnel-vision following the hand, the officer shot again.
After Brown was on the floor, Wilson called for more officers again, and later an ambulance.
Summary Post: Till Packet: The Murder of Emmett Till. (Group A)
The Till packet contains two articles.
The first is called “A Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi,” and it was written by William Bradford Huie and published by Look in the year 1956. This article refers to the events of the murder of Emmett Till, a young black man who was hitting on a young white woman named Carolyn Bryant. Emmett Till was fourteen with the build of an older gentleman. Carolyn Bryant was twenty one years old. On the night of the event, Till and almost two dozen others (7 of them being related to him, being sons, grandsons and nephews of Moses Wright, preacher) spent the day playing outside of the store belonging to Roy Bryant, Carolyn’s then 20-year-old husband. While he was bragging about being with white women, a young black friend of Till’s dared him to go inside and ask the white woman on a date. He did go inside, grabbed her hand and, trying to be smooth, asked her on a date. She was frightened and was about to get her sister-in-law for help when he grabbed her arm and told her not to worry because he’s been with white women. She ran outside to get the gun from the car and everyone who was there ran off, including Till. That night the one female in the young group urged Till to head back to Chicago. Moses Wright and his wife Elizabeth Wright insisted that it was not such a big deal and that he continue his stay. A few days later, upon hearing the story from “several” sources, Roy Bryant and his brother-in-law J.W. Milam went to the house belonging to Moses Wright’s home and asked if he was boarding a man from Chicago. The two entered his home with permission, telling the man who hit on his wife to leave with them. He abided, displeased but unshaken. The Wrights went to a neighbors house pleading for help, but the white neighbor insisted he was of no use. Bryant and Milam took the boy to different places in a matter of hours, stopping and pistol-beating him occasionally, but when they heard he had been with white women sexually they grew angry and went to pick up a heavy fan. They made him carry out of the truck when they made Till’s final stop. Once they were near the river, the men shot and killed Emmett Till. After his death, they proceeded to tie the fan around his neck, throwing him into the river. Days later, the Sheriff’s department found the body, covered it in lime and had a memorial ceremony. His body was shipped back to his mother in Chicago because she insisted her son be there for his burial. The murderers were not charged, and the case was closed, although there were several witnesses to attest to the events.
The story was sold by the murderers to William Bradford Huie, as told in the second article “The Murder of Emmett Till: The 49-Year-Old Story of the Crime and How it Came to be Told,” written by Randy Sparkman. This article also provides a few details aforementioned, filling in some blanks. It tells the same story from a modern view, and also tells the story of the writer behind the story. William Huie was a sixth-generation-Alabamian, as well as a civil rights writer. He paid the murderers to allow him to tell their story. They accepted, because they needed the money and could no longer be charged for it. Both of the murderers are dead, but still justice is not served, as Carolyn Bryant (more recently Carolyn Bryant Donham), as well as a black man who helped transport Till, named Henry Loggins, were still alive and free in the time the article was published (2005). However, justice might not be able to be served, as considered by Sparkman, because in that time period people were considered as not fulfilling their duties when told if they did otherwise. Therefore, anyone forced to treat blacks poorly back in the 50s would also have to be indicted today and that isn’t the same as getting justice, but rather injustice to those who didn’t want to do those things but had no other choice. Then again, if someone forces you to do something today, let’s say if someone forces a white person to kill a black person, they would still be penalized (as they should).
Group B
The article by the WashingtonPost, “In America, black children don’t get to be children.” the author recounts historically that black children were treated as dangerous and often more than not, were denied the same sense of innocence and careful consideration given to white children.
The recollection begin with a more recent case – the case of Michael Brown whom the police officer described as “aggressive”, “demon.” and was provoked by Brown. The article tells us that the officer is 6 feet 4 in height and 210 pounds in weight and that Michael Brown was much smaller than him. Michael Brown was not armed and the court describes the police officer as an “innocent white children” threatened.
The author reminds us that this scenario is not new. Throughout history, similar defenses were used to create an enemy or demon out of a child. Children were lynched for accusations probably untrue, for looking like an adult or being too tall for their age. The pattern was the same, according to the author, “This was not a child. He was a threat.” After perceiving the child as a threat, the reverse is true; given children are not as cognitively capable as adults when making decisions he is essentially helpless, he is the one being threatened.
The author recounts that the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment gave black children in America the opportunities to be adults with equal rights. Yet racism would find it’s way to prevail and prevent equal rights. Pediatric literature, Jim Crow laws would continue to impede on the purposes of those amendment. The point is, the demonizing of the children, creating a monster of them is the modality for the continued efforts to infringe on equal rights.
Group C Summary Post: Darren Wilson’s Testimony
I read “Transcript of Grand Jury V.” State of Missouri v. Darren Wilson specifically Darren Wilson’s testimony. Darren Wilson is questioned about the events of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri. Wilson heard over his radio that two people had robbed a convenience store, he was not called to the scene. As he was driving he saw two men walking in the middle of the road and stopped by them to ask them to move to the pavement. The larger one, Michael Brown, responded in an aggressive manner. At this point Wilson realized that these two were potentially the suspects from the convenience store robbery, Brown had Cigarillos in his hand which were said to be stolen from the scene. Wilson pulled over in front of the two suspects and attempted to exit his vehicle. Brown shut the car door on him and when Wilson managed to get his car door open again Brown confronted him inside the car. Brown was a large man and Wilson felt endangered in his presence, both because of his size and attitude. Wilson said that brown assaulted him, and he felt his only option was to use his gun. After he pulled it out Brown grabbed it and they struggled for power over the gun. A shot went off and Brown was hit for the first time. Brown retreated and Wilson fired a second shot missing Brown. Wilson pursued the suspect and told him to stop. At this point Brown turned around and started running towards him at which point Wilson fired several more times. Brown fell to the ground and finally other police officers arrived on the scene. Wilson had asked for backup over the radio before the confrontation but did not mention that he thought the two men were suspects from the robbery. Later it was found that Wilson’s radio was not set on the correct channel and nobody heard his request for backup. Ultimately Wilson’s testimony played a large part in the Grand Jury’s decision not to indict Wilson. When you read through the transcript Wilson describes Brown as almost inhumane. Wilson specifically says “And when I grabbed him, the only way I can describe it is I felt like a five?year?old holding onto Hulk Hogan.” Hulk Hogan is a celebrity figure, a wrestler, someone you wouldn’t interact with in day to day life. At other points he mentions that he had the look of the devil in his eyes. Wilson is using these descriptions to dehumanize Brown and to draw sympathy to himself, a useful tactic and regardless of whether Wilson was in the right, it worked.
Group A Summary Post
In the Till Packet, there are two articles that explain the tragic death of Emmett Till.
The first article, from Slate Magazine, “The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi” by William Bradford Huie was written at the time of Emmett Till’s murder case. The article provides facts, becoming more of a story than an article. It provides only one side of the story, focusing on the Bryant and Milam families. While the murdered boy’s family is virtually invisible save for the aunt and uncle Till was visiting. The so-called “Wolf-Whistle Murder” is explained as two white men kidnapping, beating, and murdering a 14 year old over his harassing one man’s wife. Tensions run high in this article, as the white men can clearly be seen as the bullies, and murderers, they are. Till’s bravery in the face of his murderers was seen as foolhardy, most likely leading to his untimely death. But as the article states at the end, half of Mississippi thought the murder was justified, and the other half did not disapprove “enough.”
The second article, from the PBS’s American Experience, “The Murder of Emmett Till” by Randy Sparkman. This article was written fifty years after the murder of Emmett Till, when his case was being brought to light by the court system, and focuses on Huie’s intentions while writing the piece above. Huie set out to make the story known, providing facts to the case for the people of America, not just an all-white jury. Huie was a Civil Rights journalist, covering other prominent murder cases at the time. Such was his way of reporting, stating the facts of a case so readers would be able to decide for themselves the verdict of the case. While readers in present America would clearly see a guilty verdict, those in the past may have not. But as stated before, Sparkman’s article was written at a time when Till’s case and body were brought to light once again, brought by the persistence of his family to see that Till’s death would receive some sort of justice. The case is not closed in the course of the article.
The articles are separated by a period of 50 years, and change in tone of the articles reflect the change in American views about the murders of young black boys.