It’s been a wonderful semester in this writing class – I’ve definitely learned a lot about different cultures and ethnicities since before the class started – a huge reason why I wanted to take this class in the first place. I would definitely tell myself to keep my mind open to new opinions, especially since the issue of diversity and race can be a very touchy subject sometimes. I’d warn myself to not get trapped in thinking the same way that I’ve done since high school, which was a lot like my peers (a pretty small group of people with a relatively similar set of thoughts). Growing out of that mind set has really helped me learn much more this semester.
As for advice, I would definitely say that there’s so many events out there in history that happened and affect many groups of people – big or small – and all of them are so important. I would say, try to pick ones that I’ve never heard of and really learn, really understand how it affected one’s culture, since that will only broaden my mind.
Overall, it’s been a really lovely writing class – so different from my other science and math classes – and I’m extremely glad that I was able to learn not only more about my own culture, but also about others.
For this topic about labor unions, I’ve found a variety of sources ranging from first person sources from newspapers to general websites and reference sources. I feel like for my paper, primary sources are quite important especially since one of the subjects I am studying, Lewis Hine, was alive until 1940, and having a quotation from him would make my paper more potent.
One particular newspaper article I’ve found is from the NY Times, which follows and analyzes the timeline of Hine’s photography has been very helpful in my search for articles. The article emphasizes that his pictures evoked different feelings as compared to most other photographers. For instance, others’ photos would show the strength and beauty of the machine while Hine would show how important a worker and his or her work would be interacting. What’s important to note is that he made the workers human and made people realized factory workers had skill and were real people. In the article, the author references that “Hine seems to be quietly asking: ‘Have these workers been made faceless by the machine?'”
I found this source simply by searching New York Times Lewis Hine because I figured that the New York Times had covered many stories about him in the past since he’s an important American figure in the labor war.
As for a reference source, when looking for information on the other part of the labor war (the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire), I used a reference source I found by searching Google. I found a pretty general description on Cornell University’s webpage. The next step I will take is to find newspaper articles on the event and responses through the USC libraries portal.
I haven’t encountered many problems finding information as both of my subjects are relatively well-known.
For this paper, I plan on writing about the Triangle Waist Company fire.
In the heart of Manhattan, at 23-29 Washington Place was the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, one of the typical sweatshops, where people worked for low wages, long hours, and in dangerous conditions. Exploitation of wages was a common issue – the owners subcontracted the work to people who could pay the workers anything they wanted to. On Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, a fire started on the top of the Asch building of the company. By the time the fire was over, 146 out of 500 employees were dead. In an attempt to escape from the burning building, workers jumped out of the 9th floor window. Many of the workers were female, and some were only 14 years old, most of whom were immigrants from Italy and European Jewish.
The dangerous working conditions in the sweatshop encouraged women to form organized unions to fight back against their conditions. Namely, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) started the trend of forming more organized environments. Since many of the immigrants were struggling to learn the American language and culture, they were afraid to speak out against their managers, therefore forcing them to endure exploitation. As a result of this event, groups such as the ILGWU, Womens’ Trade Union League (WTUL) started to organize themselves to really ask for better working conditions and inspections. This was especially helpful because these unions made people more conscious of their own rights. This topic needs re-evaluation because it’s such a key event in showing how and why unions started to really speak out and demand justice over the poor working conditions that ultimately led to this disaster.
In class, we recently read an article about the inconsistency of assimilation models of immigrant groups, which particularly refers to the Irish immigrant group as well.
“Although the experiences of European groups coming to the United States in the early-20th century suggest that full assimilation generally occurs within three to four generations, no fixed timetable governs completion of the process.”
As racism and other forms of discrimination plays a role in how fast a group can assimilate into a new culture, the Irish did, however slowly, gain education and raise up in the ranks. The article also mentions how economic factors play a role in how well a group can fit in.
Inconsistencies also exist to form barriers: sometimes, learning a language comes faster than becoming prominent in the job market, so it’s difficult to assess how assimilated one group is because of all these factors. As said in the article, “Assimilation may be incomplete because it is blocked outright, delayed, or merely unfinished. But the type of incompletion matters, because each type is freighted with different implications for theory, and thus for policy.”
As such, the Irish first faced racism when they immigrated to the United States, but because they were not black and did not associate physically (occupationally or residentially) with them, eventually came to be seen as “white.”
The article then goes on to critique assimilation models, mainly one called the “straight-line” convergence, where over-time, assimilation just happens (norms, values, behavior, etc.) It agrees with the racial/ethnic disadvantage model which believes that assimilation is often just blocked because of the immigrants’ race that may linger for a long time, and even become a subconscious effect.
This article would be very helpful for my essay as the assimilation models are very relevant to the assimilation patterns of the Irish. In fact, most of the models can be talked about in relation to Irish assimilation. I believed that this article was well written as it addressed the positive and negative aspects of all the assimilation models and kept a fair viewpoint throughout.
For my paper, I plan to write about the wave of Catholic immigration into the United States, particularly by the Irish people. As the potato famine drove the Irish out of Ireland, the Irish came to the United States but faced much discrimination for being socially different from those already living there.
In the 1850s Catholics made up 5% of the population, and by 1906, they made up a good 17% of the population, so assimilation was definitely difficult.
As for information, I performed a google search and read through a few of the first links, such as from the National Humanity Organization. Aside from using Google, I will also search through scholarly articles on Google Scholar and on the USC Library portal for more information on Catholic Assimilation.
Many aspects of good public spaces come from how accessible, comfortable, how many activities, and how sociable a place is. Many qualitative and quantitative aspects can assess how well a public space makes it on a scale.
For example, transit data, crime statistics, street life, and volunteerism are all aspects that fall under the quantitative department.
Furthermore, in comparison to a description of an article written by Mike Davis, Fortress Los Angeles: The Militarization of Urban Space, which describes how Los Angeles has turned into a stifling, and horrible environment for low-income families for its lack of support, and urgent attempts to displace the homeless. The article says, “William Whyte points out that the quality of any urban environment can be measured, first of all, by whether there are convenient, comfortable places for pedestrians to sit.”
Well, unlike on some of the streets of LA, Griffith Observatory definitely offers a place for people to relax outdoors and indoors. While it doesn’t offer too much outdoor seating in general, people find areas to sit in the shade and indoors in the AC’d rooms.
However, the observatory can draw some parallels with the descriptions of the fortress – the observatory lies on its own “hill” much like how a castle is elevated off the ground in comparison to its moat. This however, doesn’t really discourage people who want to visit from visiting; it’s still cheaply accessible by a bus, and is free to the public. It, however, is quite clear homeless don’t go there very often, which makes it vaguely exclusive.
To examine the “Art of Public Space,” as defined by Benjamin Barber, we must see how much thought and conscious effort was put into making the place special and livable.
“Public space is not merely the passive residue of a decision to ban cars or a tacit invitation to the public to step into the street. It must be actively created and self-consciously sustained against the grain of an architecture built as much for machines as people, more for commercial than common use. In a word, public spaces are built, not natural; they are the result of constructive intervention rather than laissez-faire disinterest.”
This point is extremely pertinent to the creation of Griffith Observatory. According to its website (seen here), the land the Observatory was built on was originally a Spanish settlement, bought by Griffith J. Griffith, that was converted into a public park. While touring Europe, Griffith decided that Los Angeles needed its own “Great Park” like those he saw abroad. He donated 3,015 acres of the Spanish land he now owned with the objective to create a “place of rest and relaxation for the masses, a resort for the rank and file, for the plain people.” Aside from just Griffith Park that he donated, Griffith visited a new research observatory at Mount Wilson in 1904, he was amazed by the telescopes and potential of astronomy. As quoted by a man at the observatory of Griffith, “Man’s sense of values ought to be revised. If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world!”
From there, in 12/12/1912, Griffith donated 100,000 dollars to build an observatory on top of Mount Hollywood with an astronomical telescope open to the public and free of charge.
This “constructive intervention” by one man who wanted to inspire residents of Los Angeles, visitors, and the public in general by giving them more access to science is what makes this public space such an amazing place for anyone to come to.
The understanding of the art put in a public space is also paramount to how successful a place is. “The role of artists here is not just to install a sculpture, plant a garden or make a mural (although these would be nice). Rather, it is to envision a space where visitors are encouraged (but not constrained) to move in certain ways, inspired (but not forced) to use the space creatively, pulled (but not pushed) to feel they are helping to shape the space even as they enjoy themselves in it.”
Essentially, creating a sense balance is so important – creating a space to encourage and inspire a creative space, while not being overly stifling. Much thought was put into the architecture of the Observatory aside from just the scientific aspects. Due to an earthquake nearby at Long Beach, architects had to abandon their original terra cotta exterior idea in favor of a thicker concrete. A public works program also funded the creation of a public sculpture by six sculptors, called the Astronomers Monument.
On the topic of “What makes a good public space?” We have to assess four main factors: Accessibility, Activities, Comfort, and Sociability. Here’s a wonderful infographic that really outlines the best aspects of each of these four categories.
On this subject, I made a mission to find a wonderful public space while also having just a little bit of fun. I had the opportunity this Sunday morning to go to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, near North Hollywood, a classic monument to astronomy. After taking public transportation and hiking to arrive at the Observatory, I can confidently say that the Griffith Observatory makes a wonderful public space for those who are even mildly interested in hiking or in astronomy. However, due to its distance from most of downtown LA, it can be inconvenient for people to go to on a daily basis.
Access:
Located on the outskirts of Griffith Park, the observatory is a relatively accessible area. From downtown LA, one can take a Metro for $1.75 to the Sunset/Vermont station.
For those who are feeling active, one can walk up Vermont Avenue to reach the base of the mountain. Vermont Avenue has lots of cute shops and cafes that are very welcoming to the general public.
People enjoy a brunch at a small cafe along Vermont AvenueThe vintage shop welcomes customers with its colorful interior.
There, a myriad of hiking trails are available to climb to reach the observatory, full of gorgeous lookout points, each one better than the last.
This panoramic view of the view from the hike shows the skyline of LA.
However, for those who want an efficient and fast path to the top, a $0.50 shuttle takes people to the summit and the direct entrance of the observatory.
Although a little out of the way, getting to the observatory is not that much of a hassle. The museum entry is also completely free to the public.
Comfort:
When one first enters the base of the mountain, one is greeted by a friendly bear and warning sign.
However, these are warnings are precautionary – from personal experience, I can say there were no mountain lions or other dangerous animals or wildfires when I hiked.
After about 20 minutes in the heat, we reached the summit! The hike itself was very rewarding, especially when I reached the top.
The observatory itself provides a very comfortable atmosphere – extremely family friendly with exhibits that are great for all ages, the space is extremely clean, and there’s an equal balance of gender and ages there. Every so often, security guards walk around the perimeter of the observatory to keep people safe and off the ledges. A lot of people take pictures of the amazing view of the city down below – there is ample room for photography.
A man takes pictures of the observatory with the Hollywood sign in the background
Here are some of the views I had the chance to see:
That’s the skyline of LA! (It’s covered in smog, but that’s just classic LA.)Giant arches adorn the perimeter of the observatory.
Activities:
While there are no “specific” activities every hour or so, there are many exhibits to see inside of the observatory itself. Furthermore, movies are played in the observatory for a small fee, and one person narrates an exhibit constantly. In fact, the the authentic exhibit is so old that the narrator can only turn it on every so often, and people crowd around the exhibit just to take photographs.
The Tesla exhibit was very popular in the observatory; people were constantly crowded around it to take pictures.
However, the observatory is mostly only geared towards people who are vaguely or really interested in science – since the observatory is all about astronomy, someone who has no interest in astronomy would probably not enjoy their stay here.
Sociability:
While there aren’t many benches to sit down on around the observatory, there is a lot of shade provided by the buildings that people sit underneath.
People sit under the shade of the Observatory and talk.
I imagine that the observatory would not be somewhere people would casually meet up to socialize at; of course it’s a wonderful place for a nature excursion or for a science day, but due to its location that makes it more out of the way, it would not provide the best social area.
If you’re ever looking for a little education, sky or stargazing, or even just for an escape from the bustling city life of LA, Griffith Observatory is for you.
This Wednesday, I visited an event for Visions and Voices called “Urban Visions: Art as a Social Practice,” a artistic gallery that focused on exhibiting the Los Angeles city life in relation to communities.
When I first walked into the gallery, I saw many people crowded around the center tables (with the food!) socializing. However, towards the sides of the room, I saw many exhibits and booths. All the four exhibits were centered on interactive media that showed all walks of life living in the city.
One exhibit I tried out had this goggle called “Oculus” which basically takes your cranial movement and uses it to show you a virtual reality inside the goggles while you are being “put” in the scene. The man running the booth explained to me that a cinematic arts grad student made this immersive journalism video project completely constructed of 3-D models and voice actors. The goggles showed a recounting of an event that happened in front of a Church in Downtown LA while waiting in line for food bank that the church was serving to the homeless. One homeless man, a diabetic, lacking food and sugar, faints in line while waiting, and the experience goes through the reaction of the crowd and the calling of an ambulance. The exhibit aimed to show a critical problem in LA where the lines for the food bank are extremely long and issues like this come up.
What was especially cool about this exhibit is that the recounting felt so real – while the 3D figures were clearly animated, having the 3D vision was quite incredible to experience. I could look around in 360 degrees, and I really felt like I was there. Ambient background noise of the city, family chatter, and sirens made up the typical LA afternoon. With the extra voice actor specifically for the 9-1-1 call, I felt even more immersed in the setting.
Since I do not typically experience events such as this, I thought it was a unique way to bring a viewer into such a setting.
“Healthy Food South LA:” Here is a booth for the exhibit on finding healthy eats in South Los Angeles.
Other exhibits included one of a mapping of areas to eat healthy in South LA.
Overall it was an eye-opening and unique experience which I really enjoyed. The mixture of artwork to discover the surrounding areas of LA compounded with the evidence of how much research and time went into these pieces is very commendable.
Everybody is born into this world with some sort of identity, most commonly, race. Race is such an intrinsic portion of every person’s identity since it reflects on his or her’s physical appearance. As a result, it’s hard, really hard, to change, deny, or even just ignore one’s race. Few others are going to.
Just Saturday night, the USC student body president, while walking home from her friend’s apartment experienced an attack simply because of her race. As she was walking with a group of friends, out of a fraternity window, someone yelled “You Indian piece of s—!” and threw a drink at her.
Events like this, so close to home highlight how racism is still prevalent in our society, and it’s difficult, borderline impossible, to never be affected by your race.
As I said in my last blog post, humans are pre-programmed to see race in others whether they want to or not, so even if one completely ignores one’s racial identity, it won’t be overlooked by everyone else; and that’s the simple fact of it. Of course the person can choose not to acknowledge his/her own race, ethnicity, or culture, but since the person’s appearance most likely gives off the impression that he/she is that race, that is what would be assumed.
In recent years, the controversy over the race of Disney princess and superhero ethnicity was called into question. Although most princesses are based off traditionally white characters, the lack of minority representation in movies that so many kids, both from white and other ethnic backgrounds watch makes kids wonder why they aren’t represented. But it’s clear that there are roadblocks to this – or else they would have changed it.
(Above is a photo of five princesses re-imagined as different races)
I can understand why people would want to change their race – sometimes it causes one to feel disadvantaged simply because of the color of one’s skin color, and it’s unfair to be given prior bias before even having a chance to prove oneself.
I would probably not ever advise anyone to try ignoring one’s ethnicity or race, simply because I believe that he/she should try to appreciate what they are given – play it to his/her advantage as hard as that may sometimes seem. There’s always a positive in each culture, ethnicity, and race; you just have to find your community where you belong.
This Monday, I watched an episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun called “Dick Like Me.” Mind you, the main character in this show is named Dick and all the episode titles make puns of his name. Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a prepubescent teenager is featured in this show, which is pretty cool. Some quick premise – Dick’s family consists of aliens who come to Earth and are relatively unknowledgeable about human identities.
This episode explored the idea of coming into the human race completely unfamiliar with race and racial divides – which is sort of a hard concept to imagine since I feel as if we have generally been pre-programmed to at least distinguish between different races. Regardless, Dick tries to find ways to fit into some sort of identity and ends up confused as to why some of his efforts end up really offending some.
But I don’t blame him.
If I could imagine myself entirely foreign to the idea that a different species from me had its own, partially self-imposed kind of classification, I too would want to try to fit in.
Especially in such a big country (figure 10.1), I would only imagine it to be extremely overwhelming to assimilate into the grander population. But in order to break it down I would do my research in order to see what similarities I shared with the culture or lifestyle of ethnic groups and break it down from there. I don’t believe there is a “best” identity per se, but rather a “best” fit for someone.
I would look for a race that I feel the most connected to in terms of ideal and philosophy. As long as those general ideas connect, I believe that the remaining customs would be easy to learn along the way. And the rest would probably just be a lot of playing by ear; I wouldn’t say anything that would be remotely offensive unless I hear it used first. This way, I’d learn the lingo and the acceptable comments or questions to ask about one’s ethnicity.
But that’s just what I would probably do. What about you?
Thought Bubble 
