The Great American Streetcar Conspiracy
As a city dweller I am most frustrated with the amount of options I have for getting around town. The automobile is an expensive luxury that saves a commuter a lot of time in the day. What is frustrating about The Great American Streetcar Conspiracy is that whole working systems were bought out and obliterated. These were good transportation options and rightfully belonged to the public. And, it seems that the public had little to say at the time about the future transportation systems of their cities.
Many cities at that time were in the fairly early stages of development. The outcome of this doing is that many of our cities today have only one viable and efficient way of getting to the destinations of the city, and that is a personal automobile. This is especially apparent in cities in the Western U.S. where development is mostly due to the automobile. Recently many places are making efforts for some kind of rail system, which I suppose is the most frustrating thing about this story, because today society feels they have the task of reinstalling these kinds of systems.
I'm not sure how much I can recognize a blatant conspiracy to destroy quality of life. The people and companies involved are motivated only by making a lot of money. I don't think that a desirable city was on the agenda for the people involved in National City Lines, they were trying to be profitable. So, I think it is in part the product of a society that places such a great value on money, and making lots of it.
Our systems don't always invite for the best possible solution to our problems because we are many times more interested in creating economic wealth. The amount of jobs and money generated around the automobile has been an immeasurable influence on many decisions and practices over the past century. And the money is intertwined into a great many aspects of the economy; the actual production, road construction, the oil business, the auto as a tool for exporting goods, drive-thru restaurants, insurance companies, impacts on health care, this list could go on and on.
Overall I think that millions and millions of people in this country have a significantly better life due to the automobile, but it has also created a society with too much dependence on it. The cultural impacts of the automobile as well are immeasurable. The freedom that we get from cars has certainly had an impact on the ways we view ourselves and the world we live in. It seems that there is a large amount of pride and individuality invested in our cars. I think that appeal of the automobile slowly became more and more desirable than that of the trolley systems. What was not realized was the amount of congestion that would be caused by the production of millions of automobiles. Cars are rooted forever it seems into American life.
However the personal automobile is less and less ideal in cities with growing concentrations in the millions. The automobile has caused challenges, present and future, for cities as they have grown from small to large, or large to larger in population, while implementing designs that influence a lifestlye that is focused on the automobile.Labels: School, Urbanism
Trolley Square
Just turned 100 years old in 2008, there no doubt that an embodied story lies within the buildings and structures contained in the block known as Trolley Square. Located to the south-east of Salt Lake City's downtown, it is included on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah. The place preserves some history that Salt Lake residents enjoy, though this appreciation is a fairly recent development. It has evolved into a place immersed in much public feeling.
A Witness of the Past
The land originally served as a fair grounds type of public gathering place for the earliest settlers of Salt Lake City in the late 1800's and into the 1900's. In a time before the automobile dominated our landscape, the new and exciting idea of trolley driven public transportation system was being planned and implemented. In 1908 a New York railroad tycoon named E.H. Harriman spent 3.5 million dollars to build the barns for trolleys on the world's first electric transit system. (Bagley, 2001) Two years later Trolley Square became the site where the Utah Light and Rail Company would house and care for more than 140 trolleys in a city wide system that transported people to and from all the neighborhoods, shopping centers and attractions of the young city. Trolley Square, literally and figuratively, exerted mass amounts of energy into the city, until 1945 when the system was suddenly shut down.
The site then became a large storage facility for city buses as it collected many tires, vehicles, and other junk yard qualities for more than 20 years.
 In 1972 the trolley barns were cleaned up and converted into the shopping center and social club place that is today. (Trolley Square: A brief history, 2007) It was one of the first adaptive reuse sites in the country.
The water tower on the premise is a Salt Lake City icon. It once served as 50,000 gallon emergency supply of water for the Utah Light and Rail Company.
It has a belonging to its place in the surroundings simply because it has been there longer than most of the residents have been alive. The tower is highly cherished by most in the area. Today it is covered in red and blue neon lights and has Trolley Square lit up across the tank. It operates as weather beacon by local weather people at KSL; solid red for snow, flashing red for rain, flashing blue for cloudy, and solid blue for clear. (KSL, 2007)
A Full Bodied Presence
When spending time in Trolley Square today it is hard to imagine what the buildings early life was like. In its current form, the layout defines many smaller spaces while inviting you into other ones. On the outside the trees and storefronts lead us through the connected brick walkways. The interior walls are slightly maze like. Some of the shops in the center building can provide a browsers corridor through to the next building, having entrances on opposite ends of the shop space. All of this contributes to a feeling that you are in a much smaller enclosed area. The overall size is fairly large, so it feels smaller than it really is.
 Though much of the playfulness in design was an addition coming with the renovation, and change of use, it is not at all original to the building design. However, it does cater to the new and current use of the building well. I like that many elements have been left to hint and haunt us about the building's history. One example being the barn numbers hanging high in the loft part of the structure. The buildings were designed with the intended use of storing, repairing and maintaining trolley cars. So in that I recognize this place as beginning as a utilitarian use in its nature. The buildings I think a very practical while expressing some style. Possibly that played a role is keeping it safe from demolition for this long. It is possible that because of the wealthy E.H. Harriman interest in the project, and because government was providing some funding and man-power to the trolley system, and because it was viewed as a cutting edge project by most the public, I think that those kind of factors could have played a role in appearance. I think city residents expected to see a structure of some sort of prestige or uniqueness. The building doesn't seem incredibly elaborate to me but it is unique, and I’m not sure how much its history plays a role in that. I try to consider the way it would have appeared with the 1908 setting and surroundings and how different it must have been from the way we know it today.
 I try to visualize the working of this facility in its original state. I imagine that the place then might be what I can relate to a large auto garage repair shop. The layout of the site seems very awkward to me. The south buildings sit very close together creating an alleyway between the current parking areas. I assume that this has much to do with the costs and the mechanics of the whole system, which probably dictated the placement of the buildings.
That is not to infer that there was not any concern for creating the visual pleasing structures that they are. From any of the multiple angles you can experience, being within the space draws a lot of curiosity to explore in people.
From the interior it is very easy to see why they are called barns. The metal beams direct energy upwards towards the ceiling point. Original bricks and columns are exposed on many walls and the color is lighter and has orange to pink values, different from the brick on the exterior. The floors of the inside are made of concrete that has been finished with a unique semi-glossy finish that is subtle with color and a wavy pattern.
On the exterior the decorative roof line is its most prominent feature. While at the same time it reflects obvious industrial roots, both in its presence and of its nature. I suspect that all the rough black metal ornamentation is inspired by an original theme of the building.
The buildings have a melded style. It is heavily influenced by factories and warehouses of the early 1900's, but it is has a definite Spanish/Mexican mission style structure. In that regards it could be a representation of the convergence of different cultures that happened at this place and that time.
Rhythmically placed all around the building's exterior are what is left of a Utah Light and Rail Company logos that again remind us what the building once was.
It echoes with many other different patterns. Some that are original to the building and some that have been later adapted to its changed use. Arches repeat themselves down the entire fronts and backs of the buildings, once they were barn doors, now they are windows and doors into the shops.
The building is composed of a rough and worn brick that contributes to the rugged aura. The brick is vibrant terracotta red on the exterior. I suspect some modern finishing work was done to achieve the look. I have read that the color of the building at one time was a painted yellow (Trolley Square: A brief history, 2007), though I could not determine if that was in the original appearance.
The landscape architecture around the building are what give the center a cozy and comfortable feel. There are numerous fountains, benches and trees along the brick walkway. The black metal railings match the electrical ornaments and window casings on the building.
And More to Come
When Trolley Square was converted into retail use, in the 1970's the enclosed mall with a parking lot was the style in which America was building its shopping center. I think that it has served this city well. Today it is one of the most frequently visited stops for visitors in the city. The old buildings are getting older, and the whole center has shown signs of deterioration. Upgrades and improvements are definitely needed, and change is on the horizon.
 Trolley Square has already began to undergo yet another transformation. A Portland, Oregon company that owns the land and shopping center has recently announced multi-million dollar plans to renovate the grounds and interior, as well as build new retail structures on the west and north-east parking areas. A Whole Foods Market will likely relocate its 400 South location one block away to Trolley Square, and other retailers will be added. (Nii, 2007) From what I can tell I think the new plan for a plaza type space will be a good addition. This space also ties into the existing public movement space shown in dark red. My concern is that the character and history of the existing structures will fall back into the shadows created by the new buildings.
I envision Trolley Square continuing a journey that retells the history of the place, by circling around to become more like the public space that the original settlers used it for, while drawing patrons from the nearby modern day transit station that bears the name Trolley station. I hope that great care is taken in preserving history without putting it inside a glass case. I appreciate that others before me have preserved all of it for me, not just look at, but to experience living in. Ten years from now I would like to enter into a historic mini city center that is alive with people and their things, and I want able to interact with all of it.
Works Cited
Labels: Architecture, History, Places in Utah, Salt Lake City, School, Utah
Jordan River Parkway - Mid-Salt Lake County Section
 click and zoom for better view Labels: GIS, GPS, Maps, Salt Lake City, School
Alternative Transportation on the Wasatch Front
I've been meaning to post this up here for a while, it was a final presentation for one of my classes last semester. The assignment was basically to create a few different maps and use them to tell a story. I picked the topic because it is one that interests me. For a larger view the link is hereLabels: GIS, Maps, Salt Lake City, School, Urbanism, Utah
Speak In Jazz
I decided it would be interesting to look at language used by fans of the Utah Jazz while they were watching their team play games. I took my data from tipoff to final buzzer for 3 complete games. I recorded and then later reviewed the conversations that happened. I was also a participant in some of the dialog. We gathered at sports bar/restaurant type venues to watch the games, so we were often surrounded by other sports fans (if not Jazz fans) there to watch the games as well. There were a great many other topics discussed during the games, however I have tried to focus on conversation that specifically addressed the Utah Jazz organization and/or the National Basketball Association league. What I have found is a distinguished language style that create the behaviors that amount to the identity of a "True Blue" Utah Jazz fanatic. The identity of the Jazz fanatic is formed through interaction and language used with other fans, as well as the language, opinions and actions of the other groups within the team organization. Together they (the fans) feel unified in a partnership.
There exists a structure in the Utah Jazz community that I can organize into four groups; performers, fanatics, management, and personalities. The performers are the players that put on the show to entertain the fanatics. The management organize and promote the games, but the fan gets to know the team primarily through the personalities group. The personalities are mostly the media reporters; television/radio announcers, commentators, players, and ex-players. They work with the management group to provide dialog about the team to the fanatics through the various medias. The management group consists of owners, coaches, other team personnel, and officials of the National Basketball Association. Certain individuals (mostly players) can move in-between groups, or can even be in two groups at once. For instance when a player does an interview after a game, in addition to his role as a performer, he is filling a personality and management role that is conversing with the fans. Similarly, if he promotes products or services, he puts himself into more of a personality role.
It seems that in a group of people watching a game, everyone hoping for the same outcome, there exists an on going form of open public debate. They will debate anything from how certain players are currently performing, to what players do and say off the court, or even the products that players endorse.
Amongst fanatics there seems to be an amount of common (Sports Center type) knowledge about popular players and specific incidents, though sometimes this knowledge can be based on gossip generated from members of the personality and fanatic groups. It was apparent that these Jazz fans were aware of the other teams, players and events in the league.
There are even a lot of allied fan attitudes about individual players. For instance most of the fans didn't favor Jaron Collins and Greg Ostertag, while most everyone thought highly of Deron Williams and John Stockton. Everyone takes a turn to chime in about their opinions of players and/or strategies. I know from being a longtime member of this group of fanatics myself, that popular opinions spread and die. The guy that bought a number 47 jersey last night was probably screaming "trade him" a few months ago. But, what is important is that the fans exchange thoughts about the team and players with other fans, as a way to establish and gain a social identity within the group of fanatics.
In a group of Jazz fans, words like; they, us, them, and we, all seem to automatically refer to either the Utah Jazz organization or is sometimes meant to include the entire NBA organization. "They" was used when discussing various bad/disagreeable decisions or actions made by one of the other team groups, as if to separate themselves from the team organization. But, when the discussion was focused on a great team accomplishment, then the wording switched to "we", or another adverb that includes the fan as a part of the organization. It is a "they" lost and "we" won kind of tradition.
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Examples of "they":
M: ...and then they bring Ostertag back, after they already got rid of him once before.
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M: They're going to blow this one.
P: Yeah, if they keep missing their shots like that.
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Examples of "we":
J: ...and we have a 4 point game!
D: Yeah, we're in this.
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L: Nice, I think we are going to win this one
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Nicknames are used as a tool to broadcast a belonging to the community. Usually one of the personalities invent them, and then fans, players, and even Larry H. Miller refer to players by nicknames when talking about the team. The nicknames for players that were universally used and understood were; A.K. (Andrei Kirilenko), D-Will (Deron Williams), Booz (Carlos Boozer), Memo (Mehmet Okur). Even the announcers; Hot Rod (Rod Hundley), Boler (Craig Bolerjack) and Booner (Ron Boone) were all used very frequently, and most of these nicknames were used more than their respective real names. They are used in sort of a slang fashion. The use of a nickname is a major indication that the speaker is a part of the Jazz community. To someone outside the group, someone that doesn't pay any attention to the team, these nicknames might not be very easily understood.
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Nicknames in use:
M: I wish Memo's outside shot would come back.
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C: "In order to win this game the Jazz need to score more points" is the best Booner line of all time.
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L: These halftime guys are so sorry!
P: I don't like Boler either.
M: Yeah, I like Hot Rod better, he's more colorful.
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L: D-Will with a dunk!
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The relationship between a basketball fan and the team is a fascinating one. It doesn't seem possible to be a fanatic and not engage in some fashion of a conversation with the team as one object. This may be seen by some, just yelling at a television, but I think it is an actual conversation that goes on between the team as whole and the fan, inside the fanatics head. For the fan, this develops relationships with the players and their performance. And when the game ends, the conversation is over until the next game.
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Countless shout-outs directed at the players:
P: Harpring, what are you doing?
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L: Brewer! I love you!
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C: Get in there Giricek, come on!
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Both the use of nicknames, and the fan to team exchanges, demonstrate language causing the fan to feel closer to the team and players for whom he roots for. The players that are generally liked and accepted are referred to by fanatics as if they were good friends, while the disliked players are shunned from being included into the fanatic group through the language.
The personality group sometimes provides a voice for the team to the fan. It is how the fan knows the details of what is going on during the game. It is how fans hear about injuries, trades or just what went on at practice. Though the personalities can evoke these conversations, they are not at all necessary for the in-game conversations between the fan and his team to exist. In one of these games, there was so many other noises and other sporting events going on simultaneously that there was absolutely no sound for that game, only the picture. It made no difference in the amount of conversation (or yelling at the T.V.) between the fan and the team.
The half time hosts were verbally detested in every game observed by many of the fans participating. For whatever reasons the fans do not think very highly of the half-time presentation.
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One thought on the half-time hosts:
P: Pace and Thurl are like an old married couple, always naggin' at each other.
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Even in the a case where there was no audio to the game, they still get made fun of:
D: Look at Pace in that lighting, he looks like Jesus coming out of the sun.
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The feeling the fans hold for the half-time personalities is similar to the collective rejection to other players and/or teams by the fanatics. These particular Jazz fans asserted in several instances, dislikes for Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers. They didn't play the Lakers in any of the games I was observing, but they always talked about them. Also a few mentions of Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets.
These observations manifest that similar attitudes are formed within the fanatic social group towards personalities, players/teams, and probably the management group too. The attitudes that the fanatics take on are decided in the open debate type discussion, so they are ever changing. Some of these attitudes are influenced by opinions and information from the media personalities.
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Frequently their dislikes include the Lakers:
D: The Lakers aren't as despicable as they used to be.
J: Uh, I don't know they still have Kobe Bryant.
M: And that is all they have.
C: That is where Fisher went [Los Angeles] .... (sarcasm) to be closer to New York.
D: I can't believe that Fisher went back to the Lakers!
C: I know, stab us in the back.
M: How could you do that? ... But, Karl Malone did it [played for the Lakers] too.
D: Yeah, and I've never cheered so hard for the Pistons, when they swept them [the Lakers] in The Finals that year.
M: Yup, and Malone never got his ring.
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Various stats are commonly thrown into any conversation to justify, prove or defend any claim or accusation, and rarely were the stats questioned for accuracy by the group. Stats are sometimes spoken of similar to how a devout Christian might quote something from The Bible, as if the stat suggested a supreme being behind it. Various stats about the coach Jerry Sloan seem to get tossed out the most, but that may be because he has compiled so many of them.
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A stat is used to enforce the bad boy attitude and image of a Detroit Pistons player:
C: What has happened to Rasheed Wallace, he used to get thrown out of every game whenever possible.
D: Is he even playing? I haven't seen him.
D: I think he holds the all time record for getting thrown out of games, he is very passionate.
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Stats are used to compare a few new guys in the NBA to some all time greats:
L: Brewer is 2nd in steals per game, tied with Iverson.
M: but, behind Chris Paul.
L: Doesn't matter we know who the all-time leading steal leader is. (John Stockton)
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And, to justify a players worth:
L: I think Booz is going to lead the league in double-doubles this year.
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The language of the stats used among fans and personalities is as kind of value assessment tool for either individual players, or the team they play for. When 4 different Jazz players score around 20 points each, fans think that they have a well rounded team. When a player consistently produces good stats, such as points or steals, then that player should be easily accepted into the fanatic community as a favorite. But, when a player commits many turnovers, or only makes 10% of his shots, then he is more susceptible to rejection by the fan group. Through stats being used as a currency in exchange for respect (or dis-respect), players and teams become loved or hated by the fanatics.
A popular topic was the comparing of stats and visible differences between the teams of this year and last year, along with much analytic thoughts about how the teams strategy might have shifted. Everyone seemed to feel a need to state some of their own positions and thoughts about the team's progression . I could sense that many of the fans were unsure about some of the new players. Like everyone was in mid-process of determining together through their discussions, who they who would accept and embrace, and maybe even be worthy enough to be yelled at through the T.V. someday.
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A few impressions of the new guard rotation:
D: I'm not real pleased with him[Jason Hart], but he might just be getting used to the rotation, but Price impresses me more.
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M: Price is starting to fit in better.
P: Yeah he had some points last game.
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M: Now it seems like a good thing that Fisher left, Brewer is better in that 2 spot than he was anyway.
P: Unless Williams gets hurt, we'd be screwed with only Hart and Price.
M: Brewer is 2nd or 3rd in steals per game so far this year.
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comparing last year to this year happens a lot:
C: Well like I said he's [Mehmet Okur] taking it more inside now.
J: Who Memo?
C: More than he was last year.
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Especially entertaining is that there is definitely an idea held by the fans that the Jazz are naturally the superior team, and never do anything dirty themselves. Had this been a Jazz player (in the example below) getting tossed out of a game for a similar action, the reactions would have been exact opposites.
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D: Oh they kicked him out.
J: They kicked him out, NICE!
C: woohoo! justice!
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And comments about the refs being in on a conspiracy theory were quite frequent, but only in calls against the team. It seems to be a natural thought that if a call is made against their team, that the officiating is taking sides with the other team. But, the opposite idea is not expressed when a call is made in favor of their team, rather it is seen as highly skilled basketball by the team or a player.
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Officials are against the Jazz:
J: Harpring's been pretty on with his shooting lately.
D: He's the Energizer bunny man.
C: If he didn't have knee problems.
D: And if he didn't get beat to crap and have the refs not calling it.
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C: Well the Knicks were at home with a lot of that home cooking.
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Jazz fans also carry certain beliefs and expectations of coach Jerry Sloan, or what could be defined as "Sloandeologies" where the fans seem to know how Coach Sloan will react to any given situation. They seem to think that they know what it is like to be player in the Sloan system. They know he's going to run the pick and roll, because they have been watching him do it over and over for years.
These ideas that include, but are not limited to; rookies having to pay there dues and sit on the bench under Jerry, players that speak out publicly against Jerry will pay for it on the bench. I notice in a couple remarks, a small uprising of opinion in some Jazz fans that preaches the idea that Sloan's approach is old-fashioned and not fit for the new highly developed style of the game.
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Sloandeologies:
L: Where is Morris Almond? I thought he was supposed to be our new ace shooter.
P: Aww, you know he's gotta do his time on the bench under Sloan.
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M: I don't know why they keep Collins.
C: That is the greatest mystery.
D: Because he's loyal, Sloan likes that.
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I notice that it seems to be an identity feature of Jazz fans in particular, that fans perceive themselves as being looked down upon by other NBA fans as having less of a basketball culture for being a small market team. They don't feel like their team is equally portrayed in the national spotlight as other teams in bigger markets. Though Jazz teams have consistently contended with many larger market teams.
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examples of how the fans view the way their team is viewed:
P: The national media doesn't care about the Jazz.
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L: You know the whole debate, about Deron Williams and Chris Paul, well I think that Deron Williams is way better than Chris Paul, but Chris Paul gets all the national attention.
B: You think? Deron gets some recognition.
L: Not as much as Chris Paul. you know, just because Chris Paul is a good looking man.
B: What Deron isn't good looking? ... He has a flaming Texas tattooed on his arm, that isn't hot?
L: There was just something that said Chris Paul was the sexiest man of the NBA.
B: So the Jazz should have taken him [Chris Paul] in the draft that year? [instead of Deron Williams]
L: No, thats what I am saying, that I like Deron better.
B: He[Chris Paul] is on a bigger market team.
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B: Why can't we have descent half-time guys, these egos make me uncomfortable.
L: It is because we are a one sport city, so we get all the second-hand sports guys.
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I think it is part of the Jazz fan make-up to feel like they have a great, and somewhat unknown history that lurked in the shadows of being defeated (twice) by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Possibly that feeling resonates still, and it translates into the fans not feeling their team receives the recognition that they deserve. And, maybe they get exactly what they deserve. I mean Jazz fans are certainly biased when making this observation, and the Jazz team has never won it all.
There were women present during these games I observed, but could not really be considered members of the fanatics that I have described, because they did not engage in very much dialog specifically about the Utah Jazz or the N.B.A. Yet, they were very much apart of any conversation about other topics discussed throughout. They were still enjoying the party very much as a part of a larger social group of friends. They were just less focused than the men on the games going on. I know that there are women Jazz fanatics out there, I just didn't get any in this sample. I think it would be safe to assume however, though it is just my guess, that the majority of N.B.A. and Utah Jazz fans are male.
What ever it is about the game, the team, or the drama of the league, that gets the many thousands of fanatics to say to themselves "I can't wait" to tune in to watch the next game, or buy tickets to actually attend the game. "It's Electrifying" that acceptance into this fanatics group is just a couple of apparent key feelings, sentiments and attitudes expressed within the language of the group. Their own unique language configuration that is brewed from the "Pure Adrenaline Rush" that they experience with (almost) every game. The identity of the Jazz fanatic is created in the interaction with other fans, they use language that separates the fanatic group from the other team groups. Together the fanatics are unified as one entity.Labels: Language, NBA, School, Utah Jazz
Prejudice in Language
I used the "Linguistic Profiling Quiz" to administer a slightly altered version of the test. I played all the voices to six different people, and asked them to pick 5 out of 20 different descriptors for each of the voices. All of the people I asked to take the test were themselves predominantly white/Caucasian, and from the working/middle class. There were 4 female and 2 male participants. The terms I chose to use were; 01. angry, 02. cheerful, 03. harsh, 04. soft, 05. friendly, 06. arrogant, 07. confident, 08. insecure, 09. young, 10. old, 11. upper class, 12. middle class, 13. working class, 14. lower class, 15. White/Caucasian, 16. Black/African, 17. Middle-Eastern/Arab, 18. Indian/Native American, 19. Oriental/Asian, 20. Hispanic/Latino. After this, I entered the data into a spreadsheet to analyze it that way. Based on the clues of background noises in the recordings and background surroundings in the pictures of their faces, I feel safe assuming that all of the speakers in this test don't come from a wide range of class difference. I suspect that all of the speakers were taken from one general geographic area and time. Something similar to a busy street plaza during lunchtime, where there were many different people around. All with similar types of jobs and pay. This was possibly detected in that all the speakers were predominantly marked as either middle class or working class, the two terms are really just different names for one large class of people. Speaker 1 was determined by all of my participants to be a black/African person, with half of the entries calling the voice young and harsh. Everyone could hear that it was a black woman speaking, simply by listening to her words. I suspect that young was chosen because of what might be called a hip-hop accent, and that could have persuaded the unanimous black/African decision made as well. It was perceived as harsh because she seems to overly exaggerate her pronunciation of certain sounds. I don't know what to make to make of the results, it seems they are accurate about half the time, and of course there is no way of knowing the answers to some of the questions asked.
While with Speaker 2, white/Caucasian was chosen without fail. Interesting again, the race was nailed through only the sounds of speech. I am surprised because, I picked this voice to be black/African when I took the test, and it still doesn't sound like a white/Caucasian to me. I am finding that I tend to associate deeper voices as being black/African more often than others seem to do. (Blame it on James Earl Jones?) Young and arrogant were chosen half the time because of the way he rolls through the sentences. He carries a little bit of bored tone throughout, which translates into the arrogance being heard in his voice. Like speakers 1 & 2, speaker 9's race was identified accurately by all six of the participants. None of the other speakers were pinned by everyone to one race. The white/Caucasian sound in Speaker 9 can clearly be heard through some qualities of "The Queens English" being used, to which I attribute the 2 marks she received for upper class. It is actually hard to try to picture this voice coming from a black/African lady, it just does not fit. She was more often marked as friendly, cheerful and confident, which can definitely be taken from the playful way she recites the poem. Another something obvious is that everyone marked insecure for Speaker 8. He speaks the poem with somewhat of a musical beat, but I think the insecure feeling comes from his intense concentration, as if not wanting to mess up the words, or leave a word out. Half assumed him correctly to be young and black/African. He got 4 votes for working class and then 3 votes for lower class, which was the most lower class tallies received of any of the speakers. It makes me wonder if the insecurity sense by everyone, then had an influence on the other terms; black/African and/or lower class. Or, which of the assumptions was made first? I did notice that young and old were used with the most accuracy. And, if those two terms were not voted for at all on a voice, that it was always (from what I would guess from their picture) a 30-60 year old person speaking. In hind sight I guess it would have been interesting to have included middle-aged as an option. Of Speakers; 3,4,5,6,7,10, none of them had any overwhelming dominance in how they were perceived. All of them had a couple of marks for almost all of the descriptors, pretty evenly spread. Speaker 3 and Speaker 10 were both called middle-eastern/Arab, and soft a majority of the time, and only Speaker 3 was actually middle-eastern/Arab. It is boggling however, that speaker 10 gets called confident 3 times and then insecure by the other 3. It illustrates beautifully the accuracy of assuming anything. Labels: Language, School
Blurry Lines
It doesn't take much for us to feel alienated through a different language being used, especially in groups. Language is one of the many tools we like to use to categorize and stereotype people we meet. Language is always a reflection of a person's background, so language differences can sometimes mean a great many other differences in beliefs.I work as a designer for a sign company, where we have many customers that are immigrants from a number of different parts of the world. I have to constantly deal with language effecting the way I handle my job. It can be frustrating trying to produce a logo or graphic for someone that can only express themselves with a limited vocabulary of what I can understand. Once a guy brought in his 10 year old son, who had been learning English in public school for only a few months, to translate what he needed to say to me. It can also be fun to teach a little bit of English, and also learn something about another language. It is hard sometimes when a co-worker expresses his belief that everyone should speak English, because I don't agree.I think it is interesting that Canada has a portion of people that speak French, and that it once almost divided the country into two. I wonder why the French language did not remain as popular in the French settlements along the Mississippi river in the United States? The northern/mid-western accent must have some amount of French influence, though I can't hear it at all.I do enjoy listening to accents from all over the world, especially the different variations of U.S. English. I also think it can be fun to visit a place where you are the one with the weird accent. It makes it more obvious that people do treat you differently based on the way you talk. It is not only in the pronunciation that I notice geographic differences, but also in the words and wordings that are used. What "sounds right" to one person doesn't always to another, so I think that correctness is (and should be) relative to the people that use it.I don't really like the idea that there are organizations prescribing the way that a language should be used by a certain group, especially if the group doing the prescribing doesn't really relate to the group that it is being prescribed to. These types of organizations serve us better when the focus is more on defining the different ways that language is naturally used, rather than how it should or shouldn't be used. But, maybe without all the assigned rules handed out through history, we would have mutilated English (and maybe even French) into even more divisions than it currently has, and someone from California would not be able to understand someone from New York?I don't think that language is something that can be controlled very drastically by the rules that a government or official language association tells us to follow. It seems more likely that a common usage would easily override any rule.Labels: Essay, Language, Politics, School
Don't Call Me White
The name of any group of people tells us something about them. It matters because any one individual interpretation of the name cause assumptions and expectations of how meetings with other groups should work and how each fits into the social community. A tipping in the scales of power. It works along with any socioeconomic group; rich vs. poor, male vs. female, old vs. young, etc.I think that in earlier times of human history skin color could more accurately define to others the differences among two groups of people. But, not in today's world, where there is great deal of ethnically mixed individuals, especially in the United States. Someone's general geographic look doesn't have to mean anything at all about their social status and/or background, and that is not becoming any less prevalent.So, as classification by an outward appearance slowly becomes less reliable for us to make the assumptions that we srtive to make, the next point of judgment is in the language used by any individual or a group. I often find myself trying to guess where a person is from by listening to accents. I think we gauge people on many levels when we interact with language. Things like; how much money someone might make, their profession, religious leanings and many other simple assumptions.Language is definitely intertwined with ethnicity. Being from a mix of European ancestry, I have learned to associate myself with the term "white". Somewhere along the way, I started feeling that the label carried a weight that I didn't feel that I should have to carry. For whatever reason when the question is asked, I like to check the "other" box and write in "European American". Though some can argue that the two have the same meaning, I don' think they do.I also think that there is the possibility that the "white" ethnicity dominance in the United States is slightly exaggerated by way of the term "white" being one of the most broad options available (except for maybe "American Indian"). This map didn't exactly match up to my own personal definitions of the races. I think if I were to create my own version of this map I would want to add 10 more naming of races to the list. Is that a good or a bad thing?
 from NOFX - Punk In Drublic (1994) Don't Call me WhiteLabels: Essay, Language, Maps, MP3, Politics, School
The Local Decision
When you take something from the store shelf and put it into your shopping cart, do you ever wonder where it came from? Most likely whatever it is, it has traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to get there. It has passed through a number of hands, from the person responsible for producing it to the person that collects your money for it in the checkout line. In part, you are paying for all of those paychecks.You can make your community stronger by evaluating the companies that produce and sell the products you consume. If more effort were made by everyone to buy from local companies whenever possible our standard of living would be higher. There would be more jobs available to the neighboring population. The jobs created would be higher paying than jobs created by national chain stores. Everyone would be healthier because locally grown food is more nourishing. The air would be cleaner without trucks transporting food hundreds of miles. And finally, the landfills would be less full from the reduction in the needed packaging for food being transported long distances. It does require some time and effort, but would be favorable for all. Buying your goods and services locally is not always easy, sometimes even impossible.Your Neighborhood Economy
When you buy a local product or service that money circulates directly into your community. The people and businesses that surround you will benefit. Local businesses tend to purchase more from other local businesses. So the decision to buy local will help many other local businesses grow.Small local businesses are at the heart of a healthy neighborhood economy. They provide Americans with more high paying jobs. They are more likely to hire people with a better understanding of their business, resulting in better service for you. Most importantly, the owners of the business are people who live in the area. Chances are that they share many common interests with the community.Probably the easiest and best way to put money back into the local economy is to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. There is hardly a difference in the price when comparing local produce with produce that has been trucked in. When eating out you can dine at locally owned restaurants that serve local products. The challenge lies in reading the labels, asking questions, and remaining dedicated to the decision.A Greater Experience
Local businesses help to give a city its distinctive character. A big attraction for tourists is unique places to shop. Often these shops can tell a story of local culture and tradition. People love to shop at stores not available anywhere else in the world.Local businesses can provide for people what they really want to buy much better than national chain stores can. A number of small businesses selling products that are based on the local needs will generate a much wider selection than one company that orders ten million widgets, then try to convince their customers that they need one.Chain stores provide lower paying jobs and less health insurance to their employees than locally owned and operated businesses do. Chain stores also impel suburban sprawl because they are usually located on the outskirts of town. A local business generally will do better located in a city center. In addition, a local business will give back to the community significantly more.A Service To Health
Buying local foods eliminates the costs of having it brought in to you from a location that requires shipping it on a gas consuming, air polluting truck. Also requiring more packaging for the transport. This creates more garbage to be thrown out into a landfill. In addition to better treatment of the environment, eating locally grown foods provides more for your body as well. These fruits and vegetables are at least a few days fresher. That means a higher nutritional content and much more flavor.Doing Your Part
Seek local businesses that represent you and your beliefs and give them with your patronage. Tell your friends about the businesses that you support and why. Small businesses survive on word of mouth advertising, as well as repeat customers.Eating seasonally means knowing what foods are grown in the area and planning meals around what is in season. Farmers markets have recently become extremely popular. They are an excellent way to get educated about which fruits and vegetables are grown locally. Also, other neighborhood businesses such as bakeries, restaurants and artists are usually in attendance seeking new customers. Buying your produce at a farmers market puts a significantly greater amount of money into the farmer’s pocket by eliminating all of the middlemen it takes to get the same product onto a store shelf. You will pay about the same price for a fresher product.Buying local whenever possible certainly shapes the opportunities available to you and your neighbors directly. Opting to provide an elevated quality of life for everyone in the community. A little awareness will go a long way.Labels: Consumerist, Essay, Politics, School, Urbanism
Everyone's Right To Health Care
The health care system in America is approached as a business, where there is money to be made. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable businesses in the world. A family health insurance plan costs around 25% of an average yearly income. A physician brings home a salary that is the equivalent to a police officer's, a fire fighter's, and public school teacher's income combined. These things, along with numerous other factors cause our nation to have the most costly health care in the world. It is unquestionably far from the best.
This is an effort to draw attention to the reasons why the health care system in the United States doesn't work for the average citizen. Our government does not recognize a proper responsibility to our health care, and we have a right to demand that it work better for us! Providing health care through profit seeking businesses creates an inequality among the people of this nation. Health care in the United States is a luxurious privilege for the wealthy. It is a burden on the poor. We have all seen collection boxes in the checkout lines, asking for donations so that someone might be able to pay for medical care that they need to live. This is an example of social health care for the lower class. Meanwhile the upper class receives unnecessary cosmetic surgeries that are covered under insurance policies. Does it seem appropriate that social class establishes the availability, quality and cost of someone's health care?
Modern Medicine Emerges
In the early 1900's surgery had become common, and medication was frequently being prescribed to patients. Most importantly, the cost of medical care began to climb. Physicians became prestigiously recognized and began collecting higher incomes. The concern of the middle class shifted. Where they had once worried about sickness causing their time on the job and wages to be lost, transformed into an uncertainty in their ability to pay for expensive medical care, if they needed it. In 1912, the issue of a national health insurance plan was a topic of interest during the presidential race between Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson. All three candidates supported the idea. (Ginzberg 1) However, issues could not be resolved to turn the idea into a reality. By the 1920's, a structure for the system that was to come was beginning to take form. Private insurance companies initiated deals with large companies to provide health care insurance to their workforces. Employers used health care benefits to lure employees to work for their companies. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved for a plan of national health insurance to be included in the Social Security Act in 1935, but it was omitted due to overwhelming opposition.In 1947, President Truman proposed a plan for universal national health care, but it was quickly denounced by the American Medical Association and was called a communist plot by congress.
Insurance Companies Boom
The 1950's saw rapid growth of private insurance companies. In the early 60's there were over 700 companies selling health insurance. Insurance-based employment became the standard in delivering America its health care coverage. The pressure on the government to create a system diminished, because a large majority had good health care coverage. For a time, it seemed to be working very well.A problem emerged when the retiring population lost their health insurance with their employment, at an age when their health care was crucial. As a solution to this problem, the tax funded programs Medicare and Medicaid were implemented in 1966. Medicare was designed for the elderly over 65 who were without health coverage, and Medicaid was aimed at helping women and children living in poverty with no work based health insurance at all. These programs were largely viewed as the first step towards a national health insurance program. However, this has been the only major legislative reform to our health care system since the end of World War II. (Ginzberg 87) The costs of medical care continued to skyrocket through the 1970's and 80's while the number of uninsured climbed higher every year. With so many lacking health care coverage, along with the escalating costs of health care, the system was declared to be in crisis.Failed attempts at health care insurance for the nation were made during the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.At the end of the 1990's, 44 million people or 16% of the population had no health insurance at all, even though 75% of those had a full-time job or lived in a household with at least one full-time worker. Another 42 million people had inadequate insurance. This meant insurance had been paid for, but it did not afford all the medical attention they needed. (McCuen 10) The situation since has not improved.
Health Care As It Is Today
Today, we are one of only two democratic free market countries in the world that does not insure all of its citizens. Most of the world understands that health care coverage is a public good, and most importantly a basic human right. People of the United States have accepted it to be quite the opposite, a purchased and consumed commodity. Some argue that the government intervention actually creates the higher costs. If this is the case, then why is it that our health care is so much more expensive than that of other developed nations, and a larger part of our population is completely uninsured? Another opposition states that a universal health care program would destroy incentives for patients to seek out the best prices and the best services/products that are available. This stems from a selfish approach that one should not have to pay for another's health care. When really it would be for a greater good. We all pay taxes to facilitate the cost of roads, some that we never drive on, yet we all benefit from the effects of having them, though sometimes very indirectly. The fact is that a greater number of healthy Americans would be in everybody's interest.
The United States spends significantly more per capita on health care than any other advanced nation, but unlike the other nations, it fails to provide health coverage for its entire population. The World Health Organization ranks the United States 37th in the world in the efficiency of our health care system. (Frisof) Americans are also less satisfied with their healthcare, and our life expectancy is worse than that of the Western average. (Galdwell) It seems that we get to pay a whole lot more for noticeably less. It is a bit ironic that a nation notorious for outstanding economic efficiency and performance allows this system to remain in place, and plainly pick our pockets.In the United States, 66% of non elderly people are covered by a private health insurance plan. A monthly fee is paid to a for-profit organization, in return for varying limited coverage. When the need arises, people usually are required to pay either a deductible or co-pay for their care. Insurance costs an average of over $10,000 per family per year and is steadily increasing. (Appleby) A meager 16% of people are covered under Medicaid or other public state programs. This leaves the remaining 18% uninsured. There are 45 million uninsured people, and the number has been increasing by more than one million people per year over the last five years. (Frisof)
The BIG Problems
Every year fewer employers are providing insurance coverage for workers. Employers are not required by law to provide even minimal amounts of health insurance. Gone are the days that Americans will work for the same company for 20 plus years and then retire. We only hold jobs for less than four years. (Embree) What interest does a company have in providing good health care coverage for workers who will only be employed for a few years? It does not make sense that we place the bulk of responsibility in providing health care insurance on employers. In fact, only 60% of companies even place that responsibility on themselves. (Appleby) It is apparent that employers cannot and/or will not adequately provide for everyone's health care needs.It is illegal for a hospital to refuse care to a patient because of a lack of insurance, however the patient is responsible for all of the costs that the hospital bills. The chief cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States is unpaid medical bills. Of the 45 million people that are uninsured, 22 million of them owe money to hospitals. (Galdwell) Additionally, half of all Americans contacted by collection agencies are in debt because of medical bills. (McCuen 10) These figures make it bluntly obvious that Americans certainly are not able to provide for our health care out of our own pockets.
Harm Disguised As Care
The United States is also alone in that we are the only advanced nation to not place limits on pharmaceutical price increases. Pharmaceutical companies ranked third in the most profitable businesses category in 2003. (Angell) They have more lobbyists in Washington than there are members of Congress. They continue to give generously to political campaigns for politicians that provide the industry with laws such as prohibiting Americans from importing drugs from countries where they are less expensive. (Angell) Drug companies have been extensively criticized for price gouging and contributing to the ever-increasing cost of health care. They claim that the high prices are a result of research and development costs. But a look at the expenditures throughout the 1990's reveals that the top 10 drug companies spent 35% of sales on marketing, while putting only 11-14% into research and development. Meanwhile, 25% of sales were profit. (Angell) In 2002 those 10 drug companies together totaled more profit than the other 490 companies on the Fortune 500 list combined (Angell) Our health depends on the ability of companies to make a profit off of it. The pharmaceutical companies would not want to cure you of anything. If you were provided with a cure then they would lose a paying customer. The goal is simply to provide a drug that will suppress your symptoms enough to make you feel better until the drug wears off and you need to take another dose.
What Will Be Done?
Our government provides security through a tax paid police force, and a fire department for each community to call upon when needed. Tax dollars fund education through public schools. Our government was founded on a principle that we have a right to demand a better life for those living with inequality.It does not make sense to require citizens, which are supposed to be equals, to be treated so disproportionately in the providing of health care. If all people in this country are to have a fair chance at the opportunities available, the United States government needs to provide some means of equal health care coverage to all citizens. The way that the current system operates is ethically wrong. It serves to benefit a few and the rest of society either has to pay or suffer.
Works Cited
Angell, Marcia. "Over and Above Excess in the Pharmaceutical Industry" Canadian Medical Association Journal, 7 December 2004
Appleby, Julie. "Average Family Health Policy Nears $11,000" USA Today online, 14 September 2005
Embree, Marlowe C. PhD. "Career Self-Management in the New World of Work" Web site of Marlowe C. Embree, Ph.D. 7 January 2003
Frisof, Ken MD. "Affordable Healthcare For All: Turning a Dream into a Reality" Democratic Socialists of America Web site, 6 February 2006
Ginzberg, Eli. The Road to Reform New York, NY: The Free Press, 1994
Galdwell, Malcom. "The Moral Hazard Myth: The Bad Idea Behind Our Failed Healthcare System" The New Yorker online, 22 August 2005
McCuen, Gary E. ed. Health Care and Human Values Hudson, WI: G.E.M. Publications Inc., 1993Labels: Politics, School
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