Movie Review

The story of the Asian immigrant was easily accepted by the white community. The dedicated student had was bridged and bonded by family and community. The mass media had empathy for his plight from the Vietnam War and the community easily accepted his family by contributing to their success in America. The social, economic, and educational war where lower classes want to share the advantages of white upper class america receives no empathy from those who profit from the separation of race and class. Without regard to lack of sustainable jobs, quality education, affordable housing, and access to health care; the segregation in the white community and the mass media have shown though empirical studies that institutional racism is alive and well in America.
Another issue I had was a blogged response indicating a 'racial ravine' did not exist. Not every person of color had access to the school. And I only recall seeing one black male presented as a token for the 250 computers. From this personal observation, it is evident that the racial ravine is part of the digital divide.
Both opinions show how examples of digital, economic, educational, and social divisions placed in emperical studies have no influence on thinking rationally. Of the many I read, three seemed to base their opinion on the fallacy that institutional racism and rural economic class divisions is a fantasy conquered up by quantitative and qualitative studies.

While the movie is only 11 years old, some reviewers felt it was antiquated. While the plot had something to be desired, I believe it is relevant given the criteria we have examined so far. But reviewers could not accept that in 2009 computers, education, housing, and health care is not affordable nor accessible. There is no social capital without a pyramid of paradigms to built upon. Lucia and others like her are working at underpaid underemployed jobs to obtain the basics others take for granted. I believe if business had an actual interest in the success of all the students and their continued contributions to technology, the school and the capitalists should of supplied financial aid, computers and broadband access to qualified students.

The importance of social capital was evident in L. 's maternal instincts to transfer her computer skills. She wanted to secure a practical 'bridge' between her and the children. The information revolution will not be televised. I commend her for achieving her social responsibility. If she would of been exposed to classic literature, she may have learned from Benjamin Franklin that to be true to yourself before you can help other people. I wonder where was the school counselor who could not see change her destructive pattern with offering life skills training. More evidence that these teenage adolescents were training to be industry clones.

I'm surprised that someone as committed as x student could not find employment. He had placed himself on a hierarchal level above his peers that was induced by his superiors at school. While students are only in school a few hours a day, the morals and values gained from supplementing some education in humanities would of helped to mature him towards being an adult. In fact, how else would an immigrant learn about the heritage he is inheriting without structured education. The fact that the school board, school administrators, computer and software salesmen, lobbyists, and politicians benefited, but the students only gained a sense of failure. It is obvious that the 4 c's were not completely metby the disillioned faces of the participants. But we must remember, these were only 4 out of 225 students. Otherwise employment would of been guareteed before these children entered the program. It is hypocritical that promises were made and nothing was delivered. Obviously, the computer industry business representatives and the school career counsler did not reflect upon the skills necessary to be ahead of the curve. While the computer industry changes every 6 months, it is not a quantum leap, and unless you lack the basics of computer programing, employment anywhere in the U.S would of been accessible. In fact, living in Seattle at this time, I know that Microsoft stock doubled and their buildings tripled during this period. I also know that Boeing was making dramatic changes to include computer technicians and programmers. With this in mind, it is obvious that ulterior motives were made by officials involved because these childrens hopes and aspiratons were taken advantage of. Every state has a viable future analysis that specifies in microscobic detail employment trends. Why were these not allocated by the participants?

One of my classmates stated that increased funding for an urban school district produced the same low test scores. He implied that it was genetics that would keep the poor poor and not technology. While I was offended by foreign ignorance of the free market system in America, I can see how he would invalidate the relationship between technology and cognitive thinking. First he is implying that computers are only used for education. Besides, learning software, the internet provides unlimited free access to information from universal websites. As Jefferson stated, a democracy cannot stand alone without the education of its citizenry. The internet provides that resource. Second, let me say I read a similar study, but further research surmised that after kickbacks were paid and equipment was brought there was no money for technicians and teachers. Out of millions of dollars dedicated by the Bush administration for technology upgrades, only a thrid actually reached the dedicated schools and less then that actually benefited from the federal money because of bad planning by greedy capitalists whose priorities were not honorable.

Midterm

thomasjasengardner Thursday, February 19, 2009
Information Divides and Differences in a Multicultural Society
SLIS 201
Associate Professor E. Whitmire
Teaching Assistant: Nathan Johnson

MIDTERM: Week Five Readings;

Alkalimat, A., & Williams, Kate (2001). “Social capital and cyberpower in the African American community: A case study of a community technology centre in the dual city.”

• The authors suggest that the digital divide may be anti-democratic. Why do you think this is so?
• I guess you are asking me if this article was written under the presidium of Huey Newton or William Ayers. Throughout the reading the writers talk about the injustice distributed to the poor. On page 204, they conclude by writing how democracy is necessary for citizen involvement. As Jefferson proclaimed, an informed citizenry is the backbone of a democratic system. Citizens use information to make decisions and to confront obstacles to equality and justice.
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• What do the authors mean by the term “racial ravine”?

The digital divide is segregationist philosophy at its worst. Inner city black people are isolated from the technical, educational, informational advances of white society. Computer related skills will advance underemployed and underpaid black people with job skills, learning software, community awareness, and personal confidence. On page 177, the writers discuss the polarization of American society between the haves and the have nots. They add that the ‘racial ravine’ is a valley where people of colour find it impossible to climb the walls of empowerment in order to earn social capital.


• What is “public computing”? What is a “Community Technology Center (CTC)”? Define.

What a lovely place ‘public computing’ implies for a community without computers at home, school, or work. On page 178, the writers state that low income communities should be given free public access to computers and the internet. Opportunities to garner computer use skills and computer resources should be provided at places like the ‘Community Technology Centres’. Social spheres for computer access is traditionally at places of work, computer coffee houses, and copy shops. A CTC is a generic name given to a place where computers are open to the public. The authors hope that CTC’s located in poor communities will enhance social capital.

• 1960s-1980s: Rise of a Black middle class, but also increasing growth of an impoverished class. Urban poverty, in particular, causes disengagement and social exclusion.

On page 180, the writers state that the exodus of the black middle class from urban communities left a social and economic vacuum that enabled its members to depend on economic and social peers to help advance the agenda of the community. As the author implies, the black middle class climbed one rung up the ladder of economic and social empowerment, could not climb higher and because they had been released from Aristotle’s ‘cave’ they could not go back down the ladder because there is no room at the bottom. Traditionally the black middle class was a welcome part of the community. Recently, the black middle class has been called traitors to their black heritage by black extremists. The disengagement or voluntary segregation has left the poor black community without social, human, and material capital. I believe Alkalimat believes, that another disruptive social process is necessary to advance the generational second-class status of black America (p. 179). This missing social buffer has helped to create a permanent underclass.

• The authors invoke Castells’ “dual city”? What is it? Briefly identify.
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• Castell’s definition of a dual city (p. 181) implies that there are two distinct worlds that exist side by side in the city. These worlds differ economically, socially, education, and housing. The part of the city that is disconnected usually consists of the disenfranchised. low paid over worker residents. I like his phase ‘black information holes of informational capital’ in describing deepening divide between ‘social structures and power relationships’.
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• What is “cyberpower”? Define its three forms: individual, social, and ideological.
• cyberpower: interacting online activity is internet power, that empowers the user(s) (p.183)
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• Individual cyberpower: gaining computer skills and social connections for one’s self
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• social cyberpower: a social environment that complements individual goals. Technology in the community (computers, fax machines, cell phones, MP3 and etc.) is another advocate for continuing the struggle for information freedom. I think I also understand how a learning environment and staff behavior affect the environmental and teaching barriers of clients. I like how the Community Math Academy made use of the internet and educational software to improve and increase productive correspondence between participants and school administrators.
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• ideological cyberpower: information technology is the major ingredient for a successful revolution. Marginalized or/and socially segregated groups can actively pursue dialog within the community that results in a common goal that benefits all concerned.
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• How do CTCs/computing and Internet access create, enable or enhance “cyberpower”? Take examples from the cases given in the text.
• The three examples of organized resistance the writers used were excellent. The fight for human survival, community activism, and organized rebellion showed how social capital obtained from the Internet can counter the misinformation of corporate media. I was back in Seattle visiting my son, and could not believe the power cell phones and text messaging had in assisting organized opposition. The police expected rabble-rousers and were not prepared for controlled defensive strategies. While the web was used to advocate certain actions and to coordinate defense, it was cell phones that empowered the demonstrators (p. 185).
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• What partnerships (a.k.a. bridging and bonding social capital) were established between the Murchison Center and other groups or community stakeholders?

While I am not receptive of the religious propaganda used to promote the agenda, it is obvious that this bridging social capital helped to organize the participants into a cohesive unit.

stage one: the church and the centre: drug prevention program established. programmes, such as job counseling, computer training, and counseling were included. This bridging social capital increased positive relations between black parishioners and black drug addicts. But as the writers say on page 201, if Cyberchurch spiritual awareness enforces the personal, cultural, and political lives of black people from cyberspace interactions, then I cannot condemn this association. But I concur with the writers that bridging social capital does nothing more but regurgitate familiar themes that reinforce your possibly ignorant beliefs.

stage two; the state and the centre: This bonding of social capital increased city officials awareness of stage one’s success in the community. Reciprocity between the church’s volunteer, Mrs. Henderson, and government bureaucracy (CDBG) helped the state associate a familiar trusting artifact with the center. This constant dialog helped the state to understand the needs of the community and what specific resources were needed to address those needs. Still, the formal requirements established by government reminded me of how banana republics have to follow the detection of the IMF in order to get funding. Time constraints do not work where grant and business proposal knowledge is limited. Government should be familiar with these obstacles and provide a liaison to help complete the application process before the due date. Unlike middle and upper class communities, neighborhood residents do process the bonding social capital to help bridge the community’s needs. .

stage three: the university and the centre: I believe when the organization spilt into two separate entities, it became a third stage. The changing ideological landscape forced the separation of church and state. But the addition of University of Toledo and King School created a cyber community whose power reached beyond the neighborhood.

The following is an article detailing a personal history of lacking high-speed internet in rural America. The speaker says third world countries have better internet connections then Americans. what we also have to remember is how cable companies are trying to create a two tier system of internet access. as students and educators our resources may be severely limited because of limited financial resources. These organizations are effectively organized to provide the black community with world empowerment.
http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A287743