Workin' 3:15 to 9:00 is The Pits

It's that time again, folks. The pit is back! This time it's for tech week, in which we musicians hang out on a 9ft tall platform (in a little pen, of course, we are the pit orchestra after all) under the stage lights from 3:15 to 9:00 p.m. to get the show ready for everyone. This year's show is...

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! At Deerfield High School March 7th-10th! Come out and support the cast, crew, and pit. Can you spell F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C? 

See you from the pit! 

- 1st Flute

Turn Off That Vehicle For Social Change Right Now, or So Help Me, Young Lady...!

"I slapped my girl, she called the Feds, M.J. gone, our n-- dead" is a lyric from Kanye West's hit tune "All Of the Lights" which has graced countless radio stations since the release of his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In just a few words, West has referenced domestic violence, the death of a great and controversial performer (this being Michael Jackson), and used a scathing piece of vulgarity. That's two sentances of rap many would like to see off the radio.
While I would hope that most people recognize Kanye West as a controversial performer and a character himself, one has to consider the effect his messages have on the listener. When was the last time you saw a group of pre-teens or teens packed into a car, shouting/singing the lyrics to whatever came on the radio? (This occurs ust about every weekend, in my case). Are they considering his message about the prevalence of violence and the conversion of an extremely offensive word into something commonplace? Probably not. But they should.
Now think about their parents. Are they listening along? What do they hear (if they can understand the fast-paced speech our generation has grown so accustomed to)? Some of West's references are upsetting, amd include references to drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, and racism. I know many parents immediatley change the station, shut the radio off and effectivley censor this voice that does not paint a pretty picture of modern America. But they shouldn't.
I'm not suggesting that we play obsceneties on the radio for children, or that contreversial, provocative music cannot do damage in a culture (ex. glorification of violence, drug abuse, and perpetuation of stereotypes), but I will say this: music can have power over civilizations. What are the problems facing America today? Certainly drugs, domestic violence, and racism are prevalent issues. Why not bring them to light? Why not address them in our music and use it as a voice and vehicle for change? Let's turn on the radio and listen.

The Third Law: Thoughts on Affirmative Action in Higher Education

Newton's third law of motion states that for every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction. This principle remains true not only in science class, but in society as well. Hit a racecar from one direction and it will roll the opposite way. You are a force, acting upon the car. Likewise, forces act upon society. For instance, the force of centuries of oppression, predjudice, and discrimination has acted upon minorites. It has limited their educational, employment, and housing opportunities (amoung others), and has generally made life more difficult than it would be had they been born white. If Newton's third law holds true, then racism and discrimination must have an opposite. This is white privilege. We hardly notice it, but as anti-racist activist Tim Wise points out in his article "Whites Swim In Racial Preference," the notion of preferential bias  "has actually had a very long and very white history." Wise observes that, like fish in water, whites survive and thrive in racial preference and are almost entirely unaware. "We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity"(Wise). While whites soak up the opportunity, minorities are often left high and dry. However, as soon as some modicum of preference (affirmative action) is shown to minorities, large numbers of white individuals rally to eliminate it, proclaiming such statements as "If I had only been black I would have gotten into my first choice college" (Wise). This is foolish, as whites are competing more with other whites than with minority students. Affirmative action, like University of Michigan's policies  merely attempts to counteract centuries of racism, not to promote reverse-racism. What many whites have deemed discriminatory preference towards minority students is merely what they have received their entire lives, due to white privilege.
While caught in this mindset, it is little surprise that many whites do not even realize the benefits of having racially and ethnically diverse universities. The Supreme Court, however, has outlined these benefits clearly in the Bakke case. The opinion of The Court was that "reducing the historic deficit of traditionally disfavored minorities. . . countering the effects of social discrimination, increasing the number of physicians who will practice in communities currently underserved, and obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body" are all worthy, substantial reasons for enacting some kind of affirmative action policy. Affirmative action and diversity serve a state interest: to promote equality of care and opportunity, and to improve the education of all by adding the unique perspectives minorities bring to institutions. Not only do white students benefit from affirmative action, it also does not hurt their chance (as so many would believe) of being accepted into a school. In the Bakke case, The Court notes with particular emphasis that "race or ethnic background may be deemed a 'plus' in a particular applicant's file, yet it does not insulate the individual from comparison with all other candidates for the available seats." Thus, affirmative action (that "plus") does not allow minority students who are under-qualified to be admitted in the place of qualified whites. Instead, it acknowledges the benefits that qualified minority students could bring to campus and takes them into account in the admissions process. In the article "Appeals court to hear affirmative action challenge," Proposition 209 (which bans the use of affirmative action in California schools), is being fought against. The Court has recently, with its decision on the Michigan Law School case, acknowledged the benefits of affirmative action, and must now reconsider the validity of Proposition 209. While opponents of the reconsideration and affirmative action would argue that the best way to promote equality is to ignore the race, ethnicity, and sex of applicants, the information above clearly states otherwise. If the nation's schools ignore affirmative action, ignore race, ignore the powerful force of centuries of hatred and discrimination, then not only will minority applicants lose opportunities, but so will the universities, communities, and states themselves. If we, as a nation, wish to correct the wrongs of our past, we must act affirmatively to do so. Equality cannot be achieved while racism and white privilege continue to be ingrained into society.  By exerting a force, by employing affirmative action in higher education, the nation can take a massive leap out of its rut of bias and preference and climb towards true equality.

Terrill Swift

This Valentine's Day I saw Terrill Swift speak at my school. A member of the "Englewood Four," Swift was accused and arrested for rape and murder at age 17 in 1994. Swift left his home with the police, who purposefully mislead his relatives so that they would not be there at the station with him, so that he would be completley alone with them. They then interrogated, threatened, and frightened Swift into signing a confession (which he had believed to be a paper suggesting he was free to go after this outrageous detainment). Swift was sent to prison, even when DNA testing proved he had not been at the scene of the crime, he remained incarcerated. For years, Swift worked hard in prison to share his story and proclaim his innocence, and was just recently exonerated.

Terrill Swift was mislead, denied his rights, and abused by the justice system. He suffered in prison and his family suffered because the state made what it would call a mistake. This is unacceptable to me. The police officers who perpetuated this situation with their grievous misconduct were not penalized in any way. Swift was not compensated in any way. In short, the state stole years from this man's life, and without apology, thrust him back into a world that had changed drastically, and the culprits responsible were allowed to continue on as they had been. This disgusts me. The fact that the officers were not punished even slightly sends a horrendous message to the public: that this kind of thing is "O.K." In addition, the fact that neither an apology nor compensation was given to Swift is horrific. He was robbed, compensation of a drastic nature is due. Then the fact that clear,obvious, DNA evidence was ignored suggests serious flaws in judgment within the system.

I once held the American justice system in high esteem. Perhaps because of TV shows, glorifying the processes, perhaps because of media coverage and what I hear in school. But this testimony has shaken that confidence. What remains firm, however, is my respect for Swift, who has chosen to, having just been made completley free, dedicate his life to telling his story and repairing these glaring flaws within our system by educating youth.

On God and the Discovery Channel

I am not what you would call a devout person. I rarely attend worship, though I enjoy it. I am not really involved in much religious practice at all at this point in my life. But there is one thing that never fails to put the eternal awe and faith back in me: Planet Earth. No, not the planet itself, per se, but the Discovery Channel/BBC series.
I recieved the box set a few holiday seasons ago, and so far, few things have ever gotten the spiritual me out of its shell like a few hours of watching. Each disc has a theme, Deep Ocean, Caves, Grasslands, Shallow Seas, Pole to Pole, you name it, it's in there. Each contains a slew of beautiful images, from elephants in the lush Okavango Delta to the mysterious lights of angler fish, far below the surface of the sea. Thousands of  vivid examples of the diversity and magnificence of life on this planet.
 
Yes, I know it's just a TV series, for the purposes of entertainment. But it's impressive stuff, nevertheless. Its a way to educate people, to show them the wonders of the world, things rarely witnessed with the human eye, right in their living rooms. Planet Earth gives us a sense of awe and unity with our planet. Whether it was created by a diety or by chance, one cannot deny its glory. If that's not spiritual, I don't know what is.



P.S. If you're looking for somewhere to start, Ocean Deep is magical.

The Perks of Being "White Like Me"

Tim Wise's exploration of white privilege and racism in America (titled White Like Me) took on an unfamiliar perspective. I had never heard of, let alone acknowledged, the idea of white denial and privileges we (as whites) have simply because we are not black. I found his ideas especially compelling because of his use of anecdotal evidence, rather than statistics (which can easily become empty numbers). For instance, in one paragraph Wise spoke of Oprah, the successful female, black entertainer. Even she, with all her fame and glory, "can't escape the possibility, can't be free of fear, can't get past the insecurity generated by racism" (72). Oprah had phoned the Hermes boutique in Paris, arrived just minutes after closing, and was refused entry into the store. While one could argue that the store policy prevented sales after closing, the fact that racial bias could have played even the slightest role in denying Oprah is a shocking thought. If Oprah can't escape racism, who can?
Racism isn't the only thing running rampant in the U.S.A, however. White denial is almost equally troubling. Wise describes our claims of "victimization" and "reverse racism" as akin to a mall parking lot. Whites blame blacks and affirmitve action for taking jobs and opportunities, when in reality they have nothing close to the vast opportunites we have. Whites tend to have more educational opportunity, job opportunites, and generally become more affluent. When this pattern is changed, we (whites) become upset. Wise notes that this "would be like. . . going to the mall, looking for a parking space, not finding one, seeing lots of unused spaces for persons with disabilites or pregnant moms, and then getting pissed at disabled folks or pregnant women, as if they had somehow kept [one] from getting a slot!" Whites complain that they're losing opportunities to affirmitive action, when in reality, they are competing no more with blacks than other whites.
Wise's anecdotes are more interesting than statistics about racial bias and privalage. They make one think about the issues at hand and instances in their own lives. Now, as I have completed the college admission process and move towards the final steps of my high school education, I realize just how much more I have had, just by living where I do and being white. My education has been better, my school has had more funding, I have had the chance to participate in programs and extra cirriculars, I have never had to worry about beign judged for my skin tone. I had thought, in my protective little bubble of whiteness, that racism was getting better in America, that things had improved drastically, that things were just about equal for blacks and whites or on their way to becoming that way. Wise's article popped that bubble, quickly and effectivley. There is still much to be done, that can't be done, because of our denial.