Invisible Children

I had heard of Invisible Children a few years ago, but was never entirely sure of what the organization's mission was or the history of it all. After watching the documentary though, I was very moved to learn more and become more involved in helping the children affected by the war in Uganda. As I was watching the movie, all I could think about was How can  no one care? It seems that children soldiers and displaced Ugandans are receiving a shocking low amount of aid, especially in light of the gravity of the situation. After all, these are children. Not adults who no better, but children. I often hear about situations such as these and feel like it is a different planet and the people affected by these wars are nothing like myself or any of my family or friends. As I watched the filmmakers interview three young boys, I was struck by how similar they were to many students I know. They mentioned popular musicians and smiled when they started singing their songs. I suddenly realized that while this may be happening in a nation that is nothing like my own and may be millions of miles away, people are people no matter where they are. Theses boys' culture does not make them any more or less immune to the horrors they have witnessed. This feeling of connection with the victims of abduction and forced combat inspired me to get more involved. A friend and I hope to raise money for Invisible Children by fundraising at school in hopes to somewhat contribute positively in any way we can to an overwhelmingly negative situation.

Hidden Bias

When I received my results from the simulation, I was not entirely neutral-- I had a slight bias towards white, European Americans, and a slight prejudice against African Americans. Because I have grown up in a predominantly white neighborhood,  and therefore do not have any black friends, I was not surprised that I favored people who I identified with. After all, I have never met an African American with whom I have become close; I simply have not had the chance. This is precisely why I believe that diversity is so important in schools, neighborhoods, and communities of any kind. In doing so, people of different races and ethnicities become more aware of one another's cultures and customs, inherently making them more accepting of individuals who may different from themselves. If one is exposed to only people of one race, as I largely have been by growing up in Deerfield, it can result in being unfamiliar with people who may look different those you are used to, and this can unfortunately often translate into fear and prejudice. Nonetheless, I was certainly not please that this prejudice existed within me, and since taking the simulation I have become more conscious of it and have been working to rectify it. For example, I recently visited a college and when I was waiting at the train station to go back to the airport, I was acutely aware that I was the only white person on the platform and because of this, felt very uncomfortable. However, I was able to catch myself and recognize that my discomfort, my "hidden bias", was unmerited and wrong. 

What's Going On in the World?

Starting at the end of January, the people of Egypt began to hold protests rallying against unemployment, the high rate of poverty in the nation, and most importantly, their corrupt then-president Hosni Mubarak. The most prevalent opposition group is the Muslim Brotherhood, who have in recent years been gaining fame and recognition via the internet (Twitter, blogging, etc.). Because of their large presence both on the internet and in the Muslim and Egyptian political realm, they were able to gain supporters to protest against Mubarak's government using the Internet. I read a particularly interesting article that discussed how the entire overthrow of the Egyptian government was indeed started by the internet. Since Mubarak's corrupt government would not stop short of harming its own citizens, the people of Egypt were, for decades, forced to remain silent despite their unhappiness with the government. Therefore, with the popularization of websites such as Facebook they were able to organize protests silently and anonymously, avoiding the risk of being prosecuted by the government. Because of this, the citizens of Egypt eventually overthrew the government in mid=February, prompting Mubarak to resign from his post as President and allow the Egyptian military to step in as an interim government, which many believe is going to turn into a democracy. I greatly admire the actions of the Egyptian citizens, both for their bravery and ingenuity in using the mediums such as the internet to ensure that their goal of freedom would be met.

Race in America

After exploring CNN webpage on race, I was particularly struck by the article that discussed the tension caused in a church because of fluctuations in the races of the churchgoers. Prior to reading the Wise and Hacker articles, I believe that I may have read this most recent article and dismissed as being a kind of case study, something that is not a widespread issue. However, both the Hacker and Wise articles opened my eyes to the reality and presence of racism in modern America. In light of the two aforementioned race articles, as I read this most recent CNN article, I did not find myself to be particularly surprised by the content. Of course it was still striking, but after hearing some of the harsh statistics and rough truths offered by Hacker, I cannot say that I was shocked that churches are dealing with integration issues. Something I was not expecting to read though was the repeated mention of battles and tensions that sparked because of an increasingly interracial parish. I would think that one's faith would (hopefully) supersede in importance one's feelings towards people of a different race. Therefore, I found it odd that such hostility has been sparked in a place where faith is the primary concern. The fact that the issue has become so prominent that ministers have left interracial parishes out of sheer frustration speaks to the gravity of the issue. Not only is modern day racism taking precedence over faith-- and in churches nonetheless-- but it is resulting in outright racial tensions and battles.

Mock Trial Recap: Sexual Harassment and Date Rape

The first case revolved around the issue of sexual harassment. Just as the class discussed after the verdict had been delivered, it seemed to be a very straightforward case, with the stipulated facts alone presenting enough evidence to convict Kevin Murphy of sexual harassment. Therefore, it seemed very fitting that the verdict delivered was one of “guilty.” A main issue of concern in this case was intent vs. impact. It was made clear from the beginning of the case that Kevin Murphy did indeed make comments to Elise Roberts that had sexual undertones and could be perceived as inappropriate. So, the goal of the case did not seem to be an issue of whether or not Murphy said such comments—it was confirmed that he did—but instead and issue of which individual, Murphy or Roberts, had a flawed perception of acceptable behavior. Because of this, I found the testimony of Kenneth Puma most compelling because of the way in which he changed the way in which Kevin Murphy was perceived. In Puma’s testimony he painted Kevin Murphy has a man who liked to joke around, but often crossed the line. An example that comes to mind is when Puma testified that Murphy made some comment in court about Elise and another woman. Puma said that he recognized this comment as very inappropriate and seemed to take mental note of it. I found Puma’s testimony most compelling because, while he was testifying on behalf of the plaintiff and therefore meant to paint Murphy in a poor light, his testimony seemed relatively well-balanced and neutral, in effect making it believable and credible. His position as a fellow co-worker who seemed to have a vastly personality than Elise yet still found Murphy’s comments unacceptable certainly helped to show that while Elise may have perhaps been a ‘high strung’ and sensitive woman, this sensitivity was not the reason behind her accusations. In other words, Kevin Murphy’s harassment was also recognized and deemed offensive by another relatively uninvolved party, ultimately legitimizing her complaint against Murphy. In this particular case, I do not see how a verdict other than “guilty” could have possibly been delivered. The only way that Kevin Murphy could have reasonably been acquitted of these charges was if the defense presented an incredibly strong case supporting the theory that Elise Roberts was so unusually emotionally fragile and had such a severely skewed perception of others that her personality allowed her to perceive Murphy’s comments as offensive harassment when they indeed were not. However, I do not think there was ample evidence available in the case to support said theory, which is why I certainly support and agree with the outcome of the trial and believe that, based on the testimonies and facts of the case, it was the correct decision.

In the second case, David Jones v. United States, I do not necessarily agree with verdict of the case. I, as a defense attorney for the case, was of course pleased with the results but still do not believe they were the correct decision. Although overall this case seemed to offer more room for deliberation than the sexual harassment case, it still seemed to me that there were many explicit stipulated facts that alone were enough for a guilty verdict. For example, in David Jones v. United States, it is stipulated that Susan Williams explicitly said “no” several times. To me, that fact alone qualifies Mr. Jones as a rapist in this case. After witnessing resistance from Ms. Williams in both physical and verbal forms, he still proceeded to have sex with her. I found the most compelling witness in this case to be David Jones. Since the prosecution seemed to have such a strong case against Jones, I found his testimony to be very interesting, as it painted him as a very innocent man who was a victim of unfortunate miscommunication.

Without trying to diminish the trauma faced by any rape victim, I feel that in some ways it may be more traumatic to be a victim of date rape rather than a victim of a random, anonymous rape. Both cases are tremendously traumatic in their own ways, but the personal aspect of date rape seems that it would have an especially scarring impact on the victim. It seems that date rape is not only violent, but also violates the trust of the victim, as victims of date rape usually know their attacker. Another prevalent issue with date rape is the element of confusion, which was witnessed in this trial. With date rape, the victim not only has to deal with the trauma of what has happened to her, but also often has to confront self-doubt and a sense that her feelings of violation and victimization are illegitimate—something that only worsens an already terrible crime.

I have never heard of a girl at Deerfield High School being a victim of date rape. Although I’m sure it has happened, it is not an issue that I believe occurs frequently enough to be considered a real problem at this school. I think the reason behind the absence of date rape is that we have been so thoroughly educated on the dangers of it. As we all saw from the case, because the issue of date rape is so delicate and can be subjective, one must look at it through a strongly black and white lens and simply follow the creed of “no means no.” I believe this mentality has, fortunately, been engrained in the minds of most students at DHS, resulting in date rape becoming an essential non-issue at our school. Unlike date rape, I do feel that sexual harassment is slightly more common. Perhaps it is merely ‘teenagers being teenagers’ and throwing around thoughtless comments, but I do think that sexual harassment does occur on a small level. While comments may be made, I have yet to witness a student who seems to be legitimately bothered or threatened by the comments. It seems that any comments that could be construed as “sexual harassment” are all obviously made in jest, with the ‘harasser’ usually knowing when to draw the line and stop.