Questions I HATE Answering

There is always that person or persons that always have a list of extremely unrealistic questions when I tell them that I’m from Chicago. The answer to all of the questions I receive first require me to roll my eyes and take a deep breath. Chicago is broken down into numerous neighborhoods, that not even all persons from Illinois are aware of, which really bothers me. Therefore, I know that when someone outside of Illinois asks me in what part of Chicago do I reside I just say “The South Side”. That reply generally warrants the overflow of stereotypical questions such as: Do you live in the hood? Do you know Chief Keef?. Just because I live on the south side does not mean I reside near anybody’s ghetto neighborhood nor does it mean that I've met the rapper Chief Keef. People are even more appalled than I am to discover I do not even listen to music made by Chief Keef, it is almost as if they are offended in some way. Or for instance when people found out that I studied at Harvard for a summer alongside undergraduate and graduate students, they begin to let really absurd questions fly out of their mouths. Questions like: Harvard University in Boston, MA? How much did that cost? Did you have to take out loans to afford it? Does that mean you’re bougie because you studied at Harvard? Yes, I studied at Harvard University. No, not the one in Boston, MA, because there is no Harvard in Boston. Harvard University is in Cambridge, MA. It cost a lot of money, and no I didn't need to take out a loan, they gave me almost half of the tuition was given to me from Harvard as a scholarship. Also, people at Harvard are the most down to earth and relatable people. They study hard and deserve everything they receive, nothing is handed to them. I have made majority of my life long friends while studying at Harvard, and met some really incredible people and connects.

Lollipop Moments

I had a very hard time choosing a favorite TED Talk, I love Ted Talks and they are all different in their own way. All of the speakers, I believe are very intellectual and rather hilarious - but I have a weird sense of humor. I used this assignment as an excuse to lounge in bed and watch TED Talks. I watched 20 TED Talks today, despite already knowing which was my favorite. A video filmed in Toronto that I've seen on multiple occasions in high school and a few times since I've been to college. What makes this video my favorite, is well, we've all had “that” moment in our lives. It is called ‘Everyday Leadership’, however I believe a more befitting name would be ‘Lollipop Moments’. We've all experienced that moment in which someone has impacted our daily lives without them even knowing.

The most effective element in Drew Dudley’s ‘Everyday Leadership’ video is his ability to draw the audience in and make the Talk something most people were able to relate to. His tone was also very powerful. He draws the audience in immediately by beginning with questions, that at first glance causes a kind of skepticism - even from me. The questions posed were about leadership. Although often times starting with questions seems cliche, it was a very useful tool in creating a link to the relevance of the anecdote that was to follow. By incorporating this anecdote he personalized his speech which captivated the audience even more, without this personalization the talk would seem useless and boring. Additionally, the anecdote was used as the visual for this TED Talk. Throughout his speech he speaks clearly yet at a faster pace, he uses his hands at times to express his point, engages the audience in his speech and even causes them to laugh a bit. Although the pace of his speech is relatively fast, I believe this is done to get the audience to the meat of the speech faster and to see the connection. Also by keeping it shorter and even at a faster pace it forces the audience to pay attention closely to what is being said. Despite speaking faster, he still manages to speak clearly. Which is what every speaker should work on and perfect. He uses his hands throughout the speech which are ineffective and distracting; however, at certain times his hand gestures allow the audience to paint a better picture in their head of the story he tells. This Ted Talk has inspired me to pay it forward and to let the leaders in my life know, that they've helped me come a long way.

Motor City and Motown vs Murder City and GhostTown

I’ve always thought the average human’s image of Detroit was very misconstrued. As Rembert Browne states in his article when you tell someone you’re going to Detroit you get the general reply “Be careful,” “Why?” and “Take pictures.” When you hear Detroit most people automatically think: deteriorating, dangerous, murder city, and hopeless. I recall one time late last semester discussing Detroit in my WRD 110 class and multiple people responded: “you don’t want to go there”, “it’s dangerous there”. I find it gut wrenching hilarious that one can speak of how dangerous inner city Detroit is, without having ever been there. Society’s image of Detroit isn’t in the least bit gratifying. But the fate of Detroit is in the hands of those with an eye for the wrong image, there is good and bad in all cities, just depends who is on the other side of the camera. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEX3Diz6PTo 

If you ask anyone who lives in Michigan near Detroit where they reside and they will proudly say Detroit. Yet, they don’t live in Detroit they live miles out in a suburb near the city. The same thing occurs with Chicago, most people are scared to travel within the inner city of Chicago yet will proudly declare that’s where they reside when they clearly do not. Chicago was declared by the FBI as Murder Capital of the great USA, only problem is their statistics were wrong. Chicago is a beautiful city just as Detroit. Yet one is not capable of seeing and knowing such things because society has painted Detroit as a horrible place to be. There is crime everywhere, Orlando and Miami are at the top of the list for most dangerous cities in the USA, but people travel there by the masses every year.

Detroit is now referenced to as Murder City or a ghost town, however it has not always been known as such. Although Detroit may be considered “dangerous” now, Detroit was once known as Motor City and Motown. What used to be the most prominent, flourishing, and populous city is now considered scum of the earth. However, Browne describes and captivates Detroit and all of its beauty, in his article. The people of Detroit are on a mission to transform their city. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2211498/Detroits-amazing-transformation-captured-camera-loses-ONE-MILLION-residents-60-years.html (the video at the bottom of the page) The Heidelberg Project I believe is apart of the transformation of Detroit that is occurring. Things such as the Heidelberg Project brings out the beauty, creativity, liveliness, and hope for Detroit as a recovering city. Although there is much work to still be done in many places, and help to be given out, Detroit is capable of transformation despite society’s irrationally publicized view.

Big Butts and Naked Girls

What girl doesn't look at these pictures and wish it were them instead of Kim K and Miley Cyrus? I most certainly know that I looked at this photo of Kim K and said to my best friend Hannah “why can’t I have a butt like that!?” Low and behold that question struck a 30 minute conversation of us talking about celebrities who have big butts and those who have no butts, such as Miley Cyrus. I took note that this article couldn't have been more correct in saying “Popular culture supplies beauty — beautiful faces, beautiful places, beautiful bodies. This was the year that beauty turned to angst.” Somehow during this discussion we switched to social media sites, including but not limited to Instagram and Facebook. We noticed how now girls and even guys post pictures of  themselves half naked, if not completely naked; for likes, attention and comments. On Instagram, I sometimes find myself wondering why when females post photos of themselves half naked do boys comment things such as “you’re gorgeous.” Makes me wonder why beauty now lie in the hands of those that have big butts? The answer is simply because that’s how society portrays women, that’s what music publicizes that a man is looking for. It kind of saddens me that females, occasionally myself, want to look like the next Kim K when it comes to body type. When a girl has no butt such as Miley Cyrus, people begin to criticize her or maybe she doesn't receive the same attention as those who have the body style of Kim K. Society has began to affect everyday people that now males think it is absolutely acceptable to photographs without shirts on and sometimes without any clothes on at all. I sit and wonder from time to time why does he feel compelled to do this, is it too because of the comments he receives from females. Comments that are filled with emojis of hearts and kissy faces? But one question still remains...since when has beauty become only skin deep and what’s on the outside?