Double Entry Journal #10

Chapter #1: Framing the Inner-City Teenager

1. Do you think topics that center on "frustration with official power" and "attraction for mass media fantasies would differ in rural communities from those that inner-city teenagers focus on? How? Give some examples.
 

Although inner-city teens and rural teens face different problems and issues, I think that some of the same topics that deal with "frustration with official power" and "attraction for mass media fantasies" would parllel. Teens in rurual areas face many of the same challenges as inner-city teens, especially related to an upbrining that may not be the norm. There are not a lot of oppurtunities to obtain advanced eduation in rural areas, therefore, similarly to inner-city teens, I think that a lot of kids from these regions do not have the same oppurtunities for learning that starts at home. Language barriers are also present because many rural teens are socially isolated and their families have lived in similar situations for generations. Also, rural teens are often underprivileged and may become frustrated with official power because wealth equals power in this country and this can marginalize their thinking. With an increase of access to digital tools, more and more rural teens are able to be reached by the mass media. I think that this closes the gap between inner-city kids and those from rural areas. Many of the same "values" that mass media conveys such as defiance  and consumerism reach both of these groups equally.
 

2. How do traditional social institutions and mass media work to silence inner-city kids?
 

Traditional social institutions work to silence inner-city kids by dictating how teenagers should look, think, and behave. Goodman (2003, p. 24) states that traditional social institutions seek to maximize social control by constructing African-American and Latino teenagers as criminals and superpredators, and then punishing their acts of defiance. Mass media works to make a profit by mainstreaming their defiance through the popular culture. These systems work together to deny inner-city kids the education and socialization that can allow them to have a voice.
 

3. What is your reaction to the statistics presented under the heading "And Justice For Some?" Do you think the system in intentionally organized to disadvantage urban youth of color?
 

These statistics paint a grim picture for urban youth of color. I was saddened to learn that minority youth make up 2/3 of youth confined into the juvenile detention system and that a black teen is 48 times as likely to be sentenced to prison for a drug crime. I don't think that the current system is intentionally organized to disadvantage urban youth of color, but it is organized in such a manner that it does provide disadvantange. Historically, the system was organized  intentionally to marginalize urban youth of color and it takes recognition of these injustices to make changes in the world.
 

4. Link to an advertisement or commercial that you consider to b e influenced by hip-hop culture?

 

5. What dangers to young people do you see in the relentless marketing of "cool" ?

I can see youth taking more risks, imitating those that they see in commercials. For example, there is a commercial for Smirnoff vodka that features Amber Rose, a model and D.J. that is recognizable to youth and the many commercials for Mountain Dew that portray "extreme" behavior that is often dangerous.

6. What is your reaction to the research that shows youth violence in decline? Do you still think that is the trend in 2012? Find some statistics to support your answer?

Due to all of the pervasive media coverage of youth violence, it is surprising that youth violence rates are declining or becoming stable. I would venture to guess that the trend is still the same in 2012, as media continues to sensationalize teen violence. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, gang violence has been stable from 2005-2010. According to Philadelphia Daily News (2012), in 1995, almost double the number of juveniles were arrested for violent crimes than in 2009.

7. Why is it important to let youth speak for themselves and their voices to be heard?

It is important for youth to be heard because this is a group that has not had a voice historically. Today's youth can provide a lot of insight into the problems that we face today.

8. What prevents Urban Youth from articulating their own lived experiences in ways that might be productive? Do you think this is problematic in rural areas like West Virginia? Do you think rural youth are victimized by mass media in ways that are different than Urban youth? How?

I think that having the financial and educational means to articulate their experiences to the masses is a hindrance. Yes, this also presents problems in rural areas. I think that the mass media may ignore the values that are present in rural areas, but I think that urban youth are victims because of their portrayal as defiant and violent in today's media.

9. According to the author, what is the best way to address the literacy challenge?

According to Goodman (2003, p. 31), "To fully face this challenge, requires the teaching of literacy in a way that organically links the students' development of language with the honest exploration of the contemporary world around them in all its aspects, including their treatment at the hands of the criminal justice system and the media culture industries."
 

10. Why is the skill and drill approach to literacy instruction ineffective?

The vocabulary of the public school is that of the white middle class and the urban child spends most of their time immersed in their own culture (mostly visual and oral) with little oppurtunties to practice and incorporate vocabulary from school.

 

11. What should schools offer to improve literacy instruction for Urban Youth? Do you think this strategy would also benefit student of the Appalachia region whose literacy rates are similar to those of youth in the inner-city?

Schools need to place a higher value on "urban" language and provide oppurtunites for students to meet people and confront situations that are out of their norm. . I think that placing a value on "rural" language  and providing the previously mentioned opportunities would benfit students of the Appalachian region because it would make students feel like they belong and empower them to have a voice.
 

12. How is the process of reading changed by media?

Reading has become more of a visual and aural experience due to media. Prior to this age of technology, children learned to read by having stories read aloud to them. Children today are exposed to a multitude of technology such as "sound story" books, CD-ROMS, and videos which often takes the place of having stories read to them by an actual person.
 

13. According to the author how might the imbalance between inner-city kids strong command of oral and visual language be used to improve print-based language? Do you think this would also work for low-literacy kids in the Appalachia region?

Goodman (2003, p. 36) states that bringing a deeper understanidng of those languages, in all their richness and complexity, to the process of teaching and learning might just go a long way toward overcoming this imbalance and bridging the language gap. I think this would work for low- literacy kids in the appalachian region due to being able to apply what they already know to what they don't know in a familiar manner. The students would probably feel more self-confident and accepted when using this strategy.

Resources:
Goodman, S. 2003. Teaching youth media: A critical guide to lliteracy, video producation, and social change. New York, New York: Teachers College Press.

Zalot, M. (2012). In today's daily news: Is youth violence on the rise? Philidelphia Daily News. Retrieved from:
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/dncrime/In-todays-Daily-News-Is-youth-violence-on-the-rise.html

Egley , A. (2012).  Highlights of the 2010 national youth gang survey. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved from website: http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/237542.pdf