Veronica: Commercialization

This chapter was interesting but a little emotional in a way. Coming from a working class family in a way I am almost offended that from what I took out of the chapter or I was unable to move past was the fact that the middle class was made out to be uneducated, worthless, lazy people. Those who are considered the "Elite" with degrees and are highly educated really aren't that different from the working class. We all watch the same television with reality shows, news stations that pick and choose how to spin a story, or that seem to focus more on the ridiculus lives of those rich and famous who have too much money to know what to do with. Whether the elite or the working class watch fox or abc they get the same stories. I know plenty of working class individuals who are not college educated but their opinions are backed with facts and are worth listening too, and I know people who are educated and as soon as they open their mouth with an opinion I want to shut them up because they feel just because they have a degree they should be heard no matter what mumbo jumbo comes out their mouth. The whole "dumbing down" really gets to me. The newspaper is written at a tenth grade level. Supposibly, the majority of people even those "uneducated" can read at a tenth grade level. People don't need things "dumbed down" for them. Information should be presented as it is no matter how complex it seems, minds should be challenged to find answers and research.

I work with youth who come from a working class backround just like I did. Youth who listen to obscene music and use vulgar language and watch MTV religiously. Who are inked up the yin yang. Who many of these youth their parents never graduated from high
school. These youth still can hold a more mentally stimulating and interesting conversation on any topic from the current political stories to "why the sky is blue?" than most of the highly educated people I am surrounded with on a daily basis.

The other day while engaging in a conversation with a youth in my program and a city official who has been greatly involved in a current injunction against a gang in Riverside; a young man who was gang offiliated, from a working class family, dropped out of school in 7th grade. He knew more about the laws and peramiters of the injunction than the city official. Mind you he is part of this injunction which would make him want to seek information about what exactly they are charging him with. But his knowledge of the demographics had surpassed the "dumbed down" version. He could have seen a district attorney, and received the easy version in 5 sentences and walked away, or not even wasted a breath. Yet he researched and studied and made that offical look like a fool. The highly educated city offical was preaching the "dumbed down" version to this gang member with million dollar words as if he was going to be intimidated or not understand and just agree. He was in for a huge surprise. This made me feel good inside.

To me its more like, I can give all the resources and information out there for people to either research and come to their own conclusion or go with the footnotes and have spare time; but if I don't encourage the youth in my program to find out the truth then they might not seek it on their own. Alot of people working class or povershed seek information and research whether they listen to classical music or rap, many people just don't make their knowledge known to the world until they are put in a position like that young man was in. Where he had a chance to make that city official go back do his research and look at this young man and many youth in a different light. I could go on and on and on but basically it was an interesting chapter and out of all of it this is what stood out and I just ran blindfolded with. sorry.....