FIELDWORK 13

I decided to interview a close from for this project. I not only got their story about being young immigrant migrating from Venezuela but I got the point of view of their mother and how she saw her son become an American citizen at the age of 5. When I first asked my friend to assist me in this project they were shockingly excited to express how it feels to be an immigrant but identify as an American citizen. Since being from Venezuela their mother taught them to grow up speaking Spanish, a language that they inly speak at home or in certain environment's when required. They expanded to me as a child they were made fun of for "not knowing words" and often speaking "taco bell", which are obviously ignorant remarks made by children. Since being embarrassed they refused to speak Spanish at home and in school. Their mother, who is a fluent Spanish speaker, refused for them to be embarrassed of their native language so her solution was to study with her child. She only required to speak Spanish with her because she didn't want her child to loose their previous connection to their country. Something that their mother viewed as her child was growing up that cultural shame was extremely dominate in their childhood. They described middle school as a reawakening to bullying because they were an immigrant. They had difficult time connecting to their country of origin because the lack of memory, although their mother made sure that representation was available in decor of their home, the disconnect was growing more prominent. A solution was to visit family members from Venezuela every year if possible yet the American ideals still stuck with my friend more and more. Which was hard for my friends mother because it was her plan for her to rise a proud Venezuelan child who happens to live in America, but she didn't take into account that since they migrated when they were young that American ideals would be mixed in just as much as her own. I asked what is the most upsetting thing about being in immigrant in America, just to get a better understanding of what an immigrant is "allowed" to do. This is when I learned that even though my friend has lived in America fro the majority of their life and claim America as their home, they would not be able to participate in politics, specially run for president if they felt strong enough to. Though this isn't their goal or dream career choice the mere fact that something so instrumental for our American society isn't available to them as a possible option is disheartening. They expressed that this country is as much as mine as it is theirs. Which I whole heartedly agree with. Another thing is that they didn't get to experience the American teens "right of passage" which is to get a drivers license. Now this isn't common amongst all immigrants, however the reasoning behind them not even being able to apply for a drivers test is because their SS numbers and Green card numbers don't match. The process to change these things are extremely difficult already leading them to not even consider ever driving in America. Which, again, is something that our government has to work on. If we are able to let immigrants migrate here and fully be part of our society why can't we grant them the same opportunities and services that are a considered "rights" to those born within that states?

FIELDWORK 6

I decided to interview my father for this project. When asked about how long his family has lived in the United States, he explained that many generations far back, too many to count have lived here. Longer than we can figure out. Most of my dad's side of the family is West Coast bound. California and Hawaii is where my family is most populated. Just by looking at the different families within my own (on my father's side), their lifestyle has contributed to nationalism by demonstrating the “American dream”. Vacations, safe gated communities, well-paying stable jobs, walkable environments and a nuclear family ideology. All these things are contributing to the American dream. On my dad side, most of our family are indigenous to the Philippines and Cameroon. My aunts, or great aunts, are Tagalog Hawaiian and African. His side of the family we are full of Philippine, Tagalog Hawaiian, African American, and Pacific Islander. I'd say that my family once a year celebrates in honor our heritage by going to festivals or incorporating dishes into holiday meals. But honestly, while I was interviewing my father, we both came to the realization that most of these questions are difficult. Though we are mostly Filipino and Pacific Islander, we are also still African American. To be black in America can mean so many different things. Being black in America virtually means that you are everything but American. Africans were brought to America, so in all actuality we don't belong here. We do not belong in America or to America. We simply live in this section of the earth. But looking back at our heritage and combing through our ethnicity, we belong to something greater than colonism, consumerism and governments that were built to keep us separate. Separate from not only white people, but also Seth rich from the identity in the definition of what it means to be American.

Fieldwork 5

1. Racial Ideology- Set of popular ideas about race that allows the discriminatory behaviors of individuals.

Raven Symone in 2015 commented on black names in not so knowledgable manner. She expressed that she wouldn't hire someone based on name. The name in question was Watermelondrea, a name made by a YouTube creator. This comment made the black community question Raven Symone for good reason. Raven was exhibiting racial ideologies, by (possibly) unintentionally describing black names as unprofessional. This is an example of racial ideology because Raven has given into the political stance of black communities and the "ghetto" names commonly associated with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyG0sDA8D4M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUID42m9aZc

2. Whiteness- Culturally constructed concept white racial stratification.

The January 6th riots was something to quickly be forgotten by government. In new year, 2022, we have yet to acknowledge the horrendous events of the capitol riots. This is likely because the justice system has "whiteness" part of its political consequences. The connection to whiteness and the January 6th riots is that there are still laws in place to service and aid white citizens of the United States. A exceptional example of how the government protects white lives is any black protest in America. How a peaceful black protest is always accompanied by a heavily armed task force to "keep the peace" is a just a way for the government to project its fear onto the black community.

3. White Supremacy- The belief that whites biologically superior.

A perfect example of what white supremacy looks like is in the movie "The Help." The main idea of this movie is to present a black community with a white savior, and the white savior stands with the black community against the white superiors. In this time period anyone who was white was benefiting from their superiority given to them by birth, and birthed by this colonized country.

4. Hypodescent- The Automatic assignment by dominant culture of children of mixed.

Zendaya. A forever loved actress, model, and former musician. The only "problem" with Zendaya or really the industry that uses her images is that they often portray her as a black women. Though this isn't false the representation of a black woman isn't wholly fulfilled. Hollywood has its tendencies of casting mixed actors and actresses for film because it's more "attractive" to have a lighter more desirable (palettable) version of the black community. Zendaya herself expressed "As a light-skinned black woman it's important that I'm using my privilege, my platform, to show you how much beauty there is in the African-American community..."

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-43879480

5. Jim Crow- Legally enforced segregation .

Our beloved Disney has its days when racial jokes and propaganda was common in their animations. Disney's "Dumbo" has a character "Jimmy Crow." This character was noted to have "negro mannerisms." Th crows are depicted as lower class blacks; lazy and always performing (singing).

6. Intersectionality- Factors such as race, gender, and class interact to shape individual life changes and societal patterns.

I believe intersectionality is another word for personalized cultural experiences. An example of what this looks like is the "got pulled over" conversation. For some of us reading this we automatically and collectively understood that this is an important conversation had typically at a young age within the black community about police.

https://mashable.com/video/trevor-noah-black-parents-the-talk

Highlighting Gender and Power within Song

PROMPT: Choose a song and highlight three separate lines (or lyrics) in the song that reflect gender and power. You’re going to post those three lyrics to your Tumblr.

Pynk By: Janelle Monae

(track 7 on Dirty Computer)

"'Cause boy, it's cool if you got blue We got the pynk"

This this lyric Janelle Monae is highlighting the social construct of Femininity and Masculinity (women weak, men strong social construct); in which both are centered around the idea of gender. Janelle is hinting at how the color pink isn't seen as a "powerful" color due to the "weaker gender" attachment to it. The purpose of this lyric was to not only bring back authority to the color but also reinstate the idea of femininity being connected to strength; strength is often associated to power.

"I don't wanna hide my love"

Hiding love or the action of covering emotion is usually connected back to the male gender. A common trait being male or presenting as masculine is to hide feelings. Particularly feelings of warmth, affection, and love. The lyric "I don't wanna hide my love" can be interpreted as Janelle wanting to connect to the "power" and "strength" men are gifted without wanting to give up what makes her human; her ability to love.

"Pynk is where all of it starts... crazy"

The idea of women being a vessel of beauty and creation was her only purpose in the eyes of some men. Women didn't have value outside of her "womanly duties". Janelle takes this lyric as a reflection to tell her audience that without women no one would be here. Women is where it starts. That acknowledgement forms power and recognition to the female gender.

A reflection of how everyone is blue and everyone is pink. No such thing as being fem because you're a woman and masc because you're a man. Within this, Janelle takes back the power of femininity that was stripped away because the truth is we can't hide is that everyone is pink inside.

Music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaYvlVR_BEc

Song link:

https://open.spotify.com/track/5OpiyfqaQLdtwHd3SfembH?autoplay=true

Genius Lyrics Link:

https://genius.com/Janelle-monae-pynk-lyrics

Field Work #3

*scanned photo was emailed due to technical difficulties*

1. I chose this location because Towson has always been my favorite place to be. I like the diversity of the area and the entertainment that surrounds it. I always appreciated the restaurants in the area; from Korean food, to American/Mexican cuisine I have options on what types of cultural experiences to enjoy. Something I've observed about this area is that the traffic picks up in the afternoon, especially around 3pm. My guess is because the mall is directly across the street and the afternoon is on of the most popular times to shop.

2. Something surprising that there aren't more people walking in this area. I find Towson a perfect place to walk. I understand that we are in the dead of winter however, this area is very scenic.

3. Something I expected to see more of in this area is accessible seating to the pubic. Nado's PERi-PERi has their seating but it is private unless you are a customer. There are some ledges to sit on like near the fountain or near the potted plants next to the theater. But for such a walkable and foot traffic heavy area I'd expect more seating for the public.

4. Covid really only effected the restaurants in this area due to them not being open at the time to make money. I remember pre-pandemic their was a habachi spot where the Korean BBQ spot sits. Also next to that was a Sweet Frog (frozen yogurt food) had closed down because of COVID similar to a lot of restaurants.

Culture of Consumerism

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pdzxPROsO7VnoJmXsGCD2BK7Y9S6x048gVW41I2ohuw/edit

While cleaning out my room to count the items that I have harbored I’ve learned that I have a lot of items that I no longer use. I simply keep them because they have been in my life for a while. I also have come to the realization that I am a material girl. I’ve participated in consumer culture by participating in upcoming and past media trends. Personally for me the generation that I am growing up in influences my spending behaviors, predominantly when it comes to the clothing consumption industry. I am deeply concerned about my physical being, and the way that I am perceived. This is translated through my clothing consumption or rather my idolization of fashion. Personally for me I believe the most needed item in my room is my skincare only because I've taught myself at an extensive length about how to conduct self-care and find that my skin is what deserves to be spoiled the most. The least needed item would most likely be my humidifier simply because I forget to fill it with water. It's now just used as a desk piece.

The brain-map of CULTURE!

Group Members: Raquel Mackel, Destin Lewis, Ajaleigh Simpson, Roman Thompson, Jael Lyle.

FIELDWORK: Making A Cleanser Unfamiliar

1. History: Youth To The People. Skincare centered on inclusivity between all groups of people (gender, age, sexual orientation, etc.) and producing pro-grade vegan skincare. A brand whose mission is to "support non-profits and activists working to amplify diverse voices and increase inclusivity, build a more just world, and save the planet." YTTP is certified cruelty free approved by leaping bunny, PETA, and the FSC.

The Superfood cleanser in particular was created to provide the skincare community with a gel-cleanser without the harsh formula that strips the skin of it's natural oils. This cleanser was designed with all skin types in mind. *Skin type: Skin type determined by genetics; Consisting of 5 heathy types of skin. The Superfood cleanser is a ph balanced, packed with antioxidants that repair and protect skin cells, and wash away debris without striping the skin of the necessary sebum.

2. Manufactured: Youth To The People is a California based brand that produces all of its products in the U.S. Their headquarters are in LA and so are their warehouses.

3. Impact: This cleanser was the gateway to my continuing invested interest in skincare. I use this product daily! It is the essence of what luxury skincare looks like. The impact it's had on my skin is vast. It can melt away my makeup, get dirt out of my skin, hydrate the overturned cells, and at the end of the routine it leaves me with a healthy glow. It feels like warm afternoon in the sun. One of the unrated features of this product is it's packaging is recycle! The brand suggest to upcycle if you don't intend to get a refill. Some suggestions were to start a small plant farm or use the containers to store other product. This applies to all of their products because they are all recyclable/ upcyclable.

4. People Involved: Most employees of Youth To The People are from the California area. The brand has around 51-200 employees, some of which reported to have great work-life balance, flexible schedules, and a fun work environment. Others have reported similar drawbacks. Some being chain of command giving advantages to their friends. The companies regional sales managers make $77K-$83K a year. The Product Marketing Managers make around $83K-91K a year. I'd assume people working in these positions are living a middle class life. In California a salary is living comfortably under the sun.

Sources:

https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Youth-to-the-People-Reviews-E1957266.htm

https://www.youthtothepeople.com/blogs/to-the-people/how-we-made-a-gentle-gel-cleanser-for-all-skin-types

https://www.youthtothepeople.com/pages/our-ethos#:~:text=Our%20goal%3A%20do%20better%20than%20yesterday%2C%20do%20better%20for%20tomorrow.&text=Our%20Giving%20arm%20is%20a,world%2C%20and%20save%20the%20planet.

Interested in this product? Here's the link!

https://www.youthtothepeople.com/products/superfood-face-cleanser?variant=27670514368595

**An instagram was used over the picture at the top**

The Four Components of Globalization

Uneven Development- By area code you can have vastly different experiences. In impoverished and underdeveloped neighborhoods the sourcing for schooling, groceries, and entertainment are lacking due to the after-effects of redlining. The example given today in class was one describing the different food outlets available to a community. In Maryland, an example would be looking at the uneven development between Mondawmin and Towson. These communities present different resources for its members as well as environmental and spacial contrast.

Flexible Accumulation- The first thing that comes to mind regarding flexible accumulation is "walking advertisements." Such as trailer trucks with brass bold logos or heavily branded clothing. From my understanding flexible accumulation is the steady uptrend of profit being made from the now existing trades of globalization.