Author: Aben

In the quote ” One of the most unselfish missions ever undertaken by one nation in defense of another”, June Jordan finds fault in the meaning behind it.  . Jordan makes a lot of references to the ”Standard White English”. This form of the English language uses certain words to cover up something. The U.S did enter the Vietnam war so communism would not spread.

In the quote ”The problem is that we are saying language, but really dealing with power”, this can be interpreted in many ways. This is a rhetorical war regarding language, and the way ”white English” is being used. We see it everywhere, newspapers, in politics, and on television. Furthermore, the problem isn’t the language but how its actual power. The standard white English pushes people to lose their identity, culture, and background. The U.S is a country of many cultures and languages, even the English language is not our official nationwide language. Rather than conforming, we should speak up. It’s called the standard white English because it was historically founded by educated white people.

Queens is such a diverse borough with people from different cultures and backgrounds, however, you may find that one area houses certain cultures or people than others. In Elmhurst, you will find a lot of Latino people, along with Latino small businesses.  I lived in Elmhurst up until I was 15 years old, I have never even heard of gentrification till that point. It wasn’t till I moved to corona that I realized what was happening to the area I used to live in. A new chipotle store, along with a target opened up in Elmhurst. 15 year old me would see this as a great thing until you realize what is actually happening behind the scenes. Why would big-name stores like ”Target” and ”Chipotle” appear out of nowhere in a lower-middle-class Latin area? gentrification. I remember there being a bunch of 99 cent stores as well as some small restaurants in the very same spot these new stores are now. Gentrification is the process by which the arrival of wealthier people and businesses arrive into poor communities, this displaces the people as well as rasing rent, and housing costs. Target and Chipotle aren’t really popular with Latino people, but it does appeal to wealthier people of a different class. The area I live in now which is corona hasn’t been gentrified yet as the housing here is already expensive, it is mostly 2-floor houses and there aren’t many apartment complexes.

One argument Dickinson brings up is the displacement of small businesses. Once these small businesses get replaced, the original workers are out of jobs that are most likely family-owned. The only person who would benefit from this would be the original owner while the rest of the workers are left to find another job. Many people in these small businesses lack the knowledge or education to look elsewhere for jobs, especially in my old neighborhood as everyone primarily spoke Spanish. Gentrification is a horrible process that we will see at some point in our lives.

Hey, I’m Aben Flores! I’m majoring in psychology so I can become a child psychologist one day. I barback/bartend on the weekends at a fine dining restaurant called ”Peak” and I love hospitality.

Music is an integral part of everyone’s lives, especially mine. I have always been fascinated by music that touches on themes of anxiety, depression, and mental illness as a whole. Pictured above is the album cover of” KIDS SEE GHOSTS” by Kid Cudi and Kanye West. The art here is the album cover itself, as well as the music. The artwork was created by Takashi Murakami. In the background is an outline of Mount Fuji as well as some bonsai trees. I interpret the artwork as finding peace, tranquility, purpose, and overcoming hardships. Throughout the album, Kanye West and Kid Cudi talk about their experiences with suicide, anxiety, and more. Kanye west reflects on his past suicide attempts and how everyone called him crazy for struggling with bipolar disorder. Cudi talks about how lonely and depressed he was after his uncle passed away. The duo aims to change the way people see mental illness, as many dismiss its very existence. I was diagnosed with major anxiety disorder growing up which caused many hardships for me. It wasn’t until I started going to therapy that I learned to cope. Albums like ”KIDS SEE GHOSTS” hold a special place for me as Kanye and Cudi spoke against the stigma. My experience with therapy has inspired me to find a career in it and that’s why I’m passionate about it.