Author: STEFANY RODRIGUEZ

For the remix project, I decided to go with the second paper I wrote on Mitski’s song. I plan on doing mini interviews and putting them all in one video. I will be asking people questions like if they relate to the song, or their thoughts on the song in general, and other specific questions. The people that I will be asking these questions to are going to be women. I don’t think there is a target audience, it’s really for anyone. I think it’s going to be a more serious video since it is addressing a societal problem. With this video, I am trying to show that the song Mitski wrote is relatable to many other women of color. This project includes video, audio, and maybe text. Some things that will be different from the essay will be real-life points of view. The video will not be much research instead, it will be people’s personal opinions and experiences. The biggest challenge will be finding people that know Mitski and that specific song. Since my family and friends do not listen to her, I will most likely be asking students on campus, so hopefully, I will find people that listen to her. What I like most about this project is that I can hear and learn people’s points of view on the song. They are going to have different understandings and exposure to the song’s meaning so I am excited to include them in the video.

The other day my blush fell and shattered. This was very painful for me, and anyone who has broken their makeup before knows this pain. I still thought it was funny so I took the photo. Looking back at it, I realize you could actually interpret it in different ways and take it seriously. For example, although this blush is shattered, it’s still pretty. And even though it is broken, it still works. I think these interpretations may relate to people in different ways or maybe not at all. I think it’s interesting when little things like these can be thought about in various ways and turned into a metaphor or something. I believe this can cater to any audience as long as they are open-minded. I edited it to be gloomy but still kept the color.

I made my friend read my paper. She summarized what I had perfectly. I am still missing some information but she understood what I wrote and thinks it correlates with my argument. She thinks I could add more examples of songs or other pieces of media that would strengthen my argument. I was planning on doing that.  

Although there is not much diverse representation in politics, it is important. We know this is true for many reasons, but for example, “ the Black voter turnout declined for the first time in twenty years, dropping from sixty-seven to sixty percent.”

The truth is many of these politicians have racist pasts. As they get more well-known and run for a bigger position, they tend to deny the racist things they have said and done because it just wouldn’t benefit them. Because nowadays, they need support from many different racial groups to succeed. So when Biden tries to excuse what he said about young black children saying, “I haven’t always been right. I know we haven’t always gotten things right, but I’ve always tried.” He’s trying to gain back the appeal of the people he disrespected, so they can think “maybe he isn’t that bad” and support him. There definitely needs to be a more diverse representation in politics. Specifically, more women and people of color. There are some politicians of color that are not racist or horrible people, but not enough. 

 

The artist I chose to write about is Mitski. She is a singer and songwriter. I would write about some specific songs she has written. The songs I would use are from albums made in 2016, 2012, and 2014. The one specific song I am most certain about is from 2016 called, “Your Best American Girl.” I believe Mitski wrote this song with her experience in relationships where she didn’t feel “American” enough or white enough for her partner as a Japanese-American woman. The music video shows her getting fixed with makeup and hairspray wearing a nice suit while the male interest – the “all American boy” is in a dirty t-shirt. Despite the difference, she still is interested in him. A white woman suddenly intervenes and basically takes the white man away from Mitski and she’s left sad. This music video and song hold a lot of meaning, but the major thing it represents is people of color in relationships dating nonpeople of color, and how it can sometimes be very toxic or have racism embedded in it. Someone actually commented, “as someone who’s getting out of their ‘I wish I was white’ phase this is such an empowering song to hear thank you so much!” Which I think says a lot about being a young woman(man) of color in America, not even in dating just in general. 

I chose this song because I have always loved it and I knew there was such a deeper meaning behind it, so I think this paper would help me analyze it and enjoy the song more knowing its full meaning. Also- the meaning itself is something people may struggle with that is really unfortunate but really important to be talked about. My potential thesis statement would be – Mitski’s song “Your Best American Girl” attempts to expose the truth about race and how it can affect people’s relationships.”

In my essay draft, I found a couple different types of sentences. I am a bit surprised just because I thought I wrote similarly in all of my sentences. I had simple sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences. Simple sentences are easy to write so I usually start with those, but I find that the writing can then sound choppy if I use too many in a row. The sentence type I tend to use the most is complex sentence type. I gravitate towards those types of sentences, but I end up trying to change and edit them the most. Writing clear sentences that flow into each other is my goal. Because when I write I think it makes sense until I read it aloud or to someone else and I realize it just sounds good in my head.

Jordan has a problem with the quote, “one of the most unselfish missions ever undertaken by one nation in defense of another,” because she knows Nixon does not mean what he says. She says white people, specifically the ones in power “debase” the meaning of the words they use, so they don’t mean what they say. For example, when Nixon uses the words “unselfish” and “compassionate” he uses the words meaninglessly. He’s using those words just to use them and not based on their meaning/definition. Because everyone knows that nothing these people ever do is “unselfish.” Whatever is done by these powerful white people is always done in their best interest. “White English” holds other meanings than just the words being used.

Language is very powerful. We view the world through the languages we speak and the way we speak in general, so it holds some meaning/value to us. So, when Black Americans are taught at a young age that the way they speak is “wrong,” and they have to learn a different way of speaking, it almost makes them inferior. Because what’s so “wrong” about the way they speak? This goes to show the power “White English” holds over “Black English.” The “White English” is what is taught at school and what is expected and accepted. Even though both “White English” and “Black English” can be understood, of course, “Black English” has to be the “unusual” English. The “standard” is “White English” so Jordan explains how it could even cause Black kids to fail courses. When Jordan says we’re “dealing with power” not language, she means white people are always finding ways to control other races, in this case, Black people. They go as far as to say the way they speak is incorrect as if other cultures and dialects don’t exist.

 

Neoliberalism has affected many New Yorkers. Throughout the different boroughs, there has been an increase in gentrification, which has led to prices escalating. As the prices increase, people begin to struggle to pay for basic necessities. This creates many burdens like displacement and homelessness. Dickinson describes gentrification and explains how “the urban center caters to middle- and upper-class professionals. This process displaced many poor people to make room for wealthier white-collar workers” (30). Further, public spaces and workplaces transform into private institutions for capital gain. Throughout time we see lower-income individuals get neglected and taken advantage of. Thus, we see gentrification prioritize the needs of wealthy individuals and expect the native residents to find their own way, ignoring the negative impact they are receiving. Consequently, we see many homeless people sleeping on the streets and subways which has become a new “normal.” Neoliberalism also increases unemployment rates, which leads to more people in poverty. In my neighborhood, there has not been a lot of change besides some increase in prices like many other neighborhoods. I would say Manhattan has the most impact. For example, my grandparents used to have an apartment in the upper west side. It was a rent-controlled apartment. My grandparents were offered money to move out so the owners could renovate it. They ended up selling the apartment for more than a million dollars. This shows how in recent times, prices continue to increase in Manhattan. As a result, people are beginning to branch out to other boroughs like Brooklyn, which makes it more expensive to live there as well. I also notice in gentrified areas, well-known shops and chains get built, resulting in fewer small businesses. All of this will continue to happen throughout all of New York until it ultimately turns into an unlivable and extremely expensive state.

 

Hi, my name is Stefany. Music is one of my favorite forms of art. Songs can hold a lot of emotion and meaning, whether they be positive or negative ones that listeners can hear behind an artist’s lyrics or voice. Music is also great since songs can be relatable, personal, and interpreted how a person wants. One of my favorite artists is Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio). So, for this first blog, I chose a picture of him performing. Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter. I love his music because he has a huge variety of slow, sad songs and fun, energetic ones. I believe performing is also an art form, which is why I chose a picture of him at one of his concerts. He is currently on tour, and I will be seeing him in August, which is exciting. I also just like Bad Bunny as a person. He has a fun personality and is humble despite his huge fan base. I believe this post resonates with me because I love music and I like to sing. I also think Latin artists such as Benito keep me in touch with a part of my identity as a Hispanic woman in a way. His music also reminds me of my cousins, whom I do not get to see too often. We are able to bond over his music at parties or even just in our rooms. Because of music we are able to create memories which I love.