Author: JAVON DELVA

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and the Limits of Representation was a very intriguing article it provides insight as to how people of color are not represented well in society whether from a political, social and economic lense. What surprised me the most was Biden’s hypocrisy when in supporting underrepresented communities. In 1993 he described black juvenile offenders as “predators on the streets” which was shocking. His unethical actions continued in 1994 when he signed the Crime Bill which painted Black communities as the center of crime in the U.S. However when confronted about the actions he took against Black people Biden stated, “I haven’t always been right”, but fails to take full responsibility for his actions. This article shows the dark side of politics: taking advantage of certain groups of people for political gain.

The title of my project proposal is a documentary called “The truth About Record Labels: How Record Deals Really Work”. This short film describes the struggles Artists face in the industry behind the scenes while they shine in the limelight. Record labels know that if the have complete control over the artist, they can use that control to manipulate the fans. Many artists fall into the trap thinking they need a record label when in reality the record label needs them because it is an opportunity to profit off them.                   

In my essay I will provide examples of different tactics Record Labels use to enslave their artists and create the illusion that their artists are successful when they are actually in debt. Labels will set rules to their favor at your demise. If you don’t end up becoming a superstar their is no 401k to save you: you will be shelved or dropped because you will be considered as a bad investment.j

Adrian Piper “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill”

The artifact, “Decide Who You Are, Anita Hill” by Adrian Piper displays a series of questions, doubts and concerns projected on the little girl smiling in the poster. Most of the writings on the poster specifically appear to be gaslighting with comments such as, “I don’t understand where this is coming from”, to “Everyone does that so what”, to “your perceptions are distorted” and so on. This text appears to take place during the civil rights movement; an era dedicated to activism for equal rights and treatment of African Americans in the United States. People who were opposed or insecure to the movement would gaslight African Americans in an attempt to manipulate the situation to their favor. This artifact can attract a lot of people due its red font and the adorable smile of the little girls face. I also feel as if the little girl smiling contradicting to the words being said in the artifact will make people think, “what is this poster trying to tell me”, therefore spreading awareness. Overall, this artifact is well designed and I can see why it has been glamorized many years later by people across the United States. The lesson I learned by this artifact is: Don’t let society box you in. Stand on your beliefs and always do what is best for you and whoever you consider family. Lastly, stay the course because you will only fail when you stop chasing your mission. You can’t fail if you keep going.

 

The art piece I chose was

                  No I was not surprised by the results. I was pretty confident my paper had very few simple sentences. After reviewing my essay I only had 3/18 sentences constructed as simple sentences, 8/18 compound sentences, 3/18 complex sentences and 4/18 complex compound sentences. I feel as if the reader will always be engaged because every sentence has a meaning. The simple sentences in my draft are used to introduce a topic or to explain my more advanced sentences. The compound sentences provided a lot of insight while the complex compound provided a lot of reasoning. Although I feel as if I did a great job on this piece I think I could use this sentence structure as a reference for my writing at all times. A structure of very few simple sentences and more compound, complex and compound complex is my type of format because I can keep the audience more engaged and my writing feels more reputable. I will be sure to keep an eye out on my sentence structure throughout the rest of my essay to be sure it is well published. Complex and Compound Complex sentences are great ways to enhance your writing because they usually involve a lot of transitional phrases and a lot of cause and effect scenarios. I am happy I got the opportunity to learn sentence structure and I will be sure to teach others about sentence structure when proof reading their work. Additionally, improving your sentence structure can help improve your dialect as that is something I would like to see improve.

“New York’s Invisible Climate Migrants” and “Racial Capitolocence” both have different viewpoints on environmental racism. “New York’s Invisible Climate Migrants” made the reader more aware of how the Climate Change affected the Canarsie Community. “Racial Capitolocence” on the other hand is a more opinionated piece where a variety of authors have different perspectives of the impact race plays on climate change. After reading both articles it is prevalent that low income and race plays hand in hand to the injustice of climate change in your community.

Hurricane Sandy forced the people of Canarsie, a Caribbean neighborhood in Brooklyn to leave their homes, some even moving back to their home countries. Harold Jones, a resident in of the Canarsie neighborhood believes “a lot of people don’t have the resources to rebuild” resulting in companies wanting to “buy homes for cash” in the community. The Government programs designed to help the community were considered “inadequate” which forced people who did not want to move to move anyway.

“Racial Capitolocence” article goes on to add how business’ prey on flood ridden communities. The article describes Climate Change as “a project for colonial powers” and a “unintentional consequence of industrialization. As a result of this many communities will continue to suffer financially for years to come

 

Neoliberalism has taken a toll on my Flatlands neighborhood slowly but surely. I remember when I was a child I would go to the deli with a dollar and get 2 bags of chips, a Caprisun and cookies. Nowadays if i go to the deli with dollar I could only get a bag of chips for 75 cents and maybe some candy. Another example would be my local Chinese food spot. Throughout my whole life it was accustomed for me to eat Chinese food every Friday. I would usually order the same thing: Chicken & Broccoli with white rice for 5 Dollars.  I’ve noticed every year the prices steadily go up…… $5.50 to $6 to $6.50 to $10 dollars as of today.  The inflation of food prices have been detrimental to my community and I believe neoliberalism is the focal point of the problem.

Another example of how Neoliberalism has effected my community is through the instillation of big time corporations where small business’ were once established. This is due to the increase in gentrification and the popularity of the neighborhood as you have access to many shopping stores and restaurants.  Even the streets with small business’ by my old high-school was shut down in hopes of expanding the community. They replaced these business’ with a CVS, Modells and Planet Fitness.

The instillation of big time retail corporations by my highschool relates to Dickinsons article with the hegemonic projects in business’ taking over Graffiti projects across the city. These Graffiti projects were overruled due to laws established against the use of Graffiti and media companies taking a stance against the use of graffiti. This also relates to Dickinsons article because it shows how people ranked higher in the social class structure such as the government or rich have more power than your regular citizen.

Hello my name is Javon. I am a Sophomore at Baruch and I am a Business Major.

.                                                                            A piece of art that represents me is this picture of a basketball court. Yes it may seem just like any other court but this is where long lasting relationships are built. Basketball teaches you the value of teamwork but it also instills a lot of valuable life lessons into you. With basketball I’ve learned how to use my voice, the importance of hard work, and how to persevere through hard times. I’d recommend playing sports to any child/ adult because it can take you very far in life.