The Facts about Gentrification

Imagery Final

Gentrification can be compared to the move westward in the late 1800s and the takeover of the territories from the native people. This act mirriors that of the gentrification process occurring today. When people move the native inhabitants from there current lands to create a supposed better land we can see how the current situations happening in our inner cities is practically a genocide of the culture, the simple way of life in which one lives, the established economy is destroyed to make way to better only those taking over. This creates a shadow cast over the existence of that once native people.

This power point illustrates the history and the fortunate and unfortunate facts about the process of gentrification.

Barbershop Owner- Michael Thomas on Gentrification

Yesterday I met a man that owns a barbershop. The name is simple and explains his mindset, “Million Dollar Kutz.” It is located at 247 Market Street.

 

He had no issue talking to me about his ideas when it came to gentrification and how it potentially affected his business. His exclusive interview shows that he does have an issue with the specific idea of race or even pulling the race card. In fact, he believes that it is an excuse!

 

Because this is a blog I am more conscience of my form of writing. What I will point out about this process of gentrification is that there are many that are not afraid. Many can still see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

As Michael Thomas stood with me for an hour discussing his ideals, he mainly focused on the fact that African Americans do not support each other in business. He described how those that are of African decent must place a person of another race at the store front in order to generate a less biased income.

 

This was very interesting to me considering a majority of businesses owned in the downtown Newark area are black owned. How do they succeed?

Jazib Hujip: Bar and Restaurant owner in Newark..Apart of the Gentrification Process

Jazib Hujip is a restaurant business owner from India. His family worked hard to obtain their current property on Washington St. in Newark, Unfortunately Hajip has been asked for much more money to purchase the building that he is currently leasing,

 

He also understands that if he does not buy soon her will lose his property and take a major fall financially. This is his story..

 

The average Newark resident expressed his ideas of why gentrification was necessary. His passion showed the other side to the posed question about gentrification when asking if it is necessary.

Yusef Baye’s Interview on the Gentrification of Newark

Long time street cart owner, Yusef Baye had a different outlook on how the process of gentrification affected the community. In his eyes he simply understood that once again gentrification had no color. Yet, he still felt as though those that have an infinite amount of money are more able to control the little people and cities like Newark.

“Gentrification is cooperate takeover and once we being to understand what cooperate takeover is we will understand gentrification.”

 

He believes that in the next 5 to 10 years Newark will sky rocket and at some point black people will not want to come to the downtown area to shop.

 

He also spoke on the era of the 1960’s in which African American storeowners maintained their wealth by buying and selling to each other.

 

Would this not be a perfect time to reorganize and recreate what was lost 54 years ago?

 

Dont Let This Be Your Mom. (FINAL)

By Rodrigo Valencia

Addiction. A term with a negative connotation that every time it is brought up the first thing that comes to a person’s mind is substance abuse. But what about the other types of addiction? Those that are not commonly heard of in the news or in social media? Something like, technology addiction. Yes, that right there is the first part of what I promised to discuss for my final, in the form of a short commercial that at the end resulted in two.

https://vimeo.com/95094851

Two separate commercials interconnected by one big social issue: Technology Addiction. Brian, who lives with his mom has to endure the hardships of technology taking over her life. She is completely unaware of what’s going on around her and instead of being the one preventing her teenage son, who is more vulnerable, from getting addicted to technology and social media, she is the one that ends up falling for it. A concept that will surely leave curiosity in the audience deceived by the fact that there is a role change.

After watching the commercial not everyone has the same ideas about it. Interpretation works different for everyone, and thats when the concept of the way we see images comes into play.

http://prezi.com/92kyazi9wu5q/edit/#1_24309637

Sources:

http://courses.washington.edu/hypertxt/cgi-bin/book/wordsinimages/magritte.html

http://culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2011/05/john-berger-ways-of-seeing-summary-and.html

 

 

Final Project: The Process of Gentrification of Newark

My final project gives an overall perspective of the affect of gentrification in Newark., NJ. By interviewing the various business owners and one Newark resident, the ability to look through the eyes of different people effected by this process was possible.

Not only did I meet interesting people that had no issue pouring their hearts out to me, but I also was able to feel the effects for my self by listening to their stories. There is truly nothing that we can do to stop this process. Nor is their anyway that we can “take back” what we have had for so long. It is easier to understand the process and how we can survive throughout.

 

What I learned is that we must support the smaller businesses that are striving to stay alive. We must also educate ourselves on the past history of this process. This has occurred on so many immediate cities in the surrounding area. This is the time to revitalize the communities that have held such a rich history without the help of outsiders. It is truly our time to go to other urban cities and shine.

Newark Resident Speaks on the Current Gentrification Process

 

A Newark resident, Anthony John, age 31, expressed his ideas of why gentrification was necessary. His passion showed the other side to the posed question about gentrification when asking if it is necessary.

 

School reform was his topic. He also pointed out that not every family could afford the charter schools that are being implemented right now. He talked about his parents being in danger of being hurt by Newark locals by stray bullets. This occurrence would be in there own apartment if necessary.

 

There are always two sides to every story. It seems as though many have a bad taste in their mouths for the idea of the process of gentrification. This is his point of view…

 

Blog 2

Advertising is everywhere. We are submerged in it, and are drowning in the constant stream of messages we receive each day. Men and women are reminded of their gender roles so much that it is ingrained in our systems to act and expect others to act a certain way. More and more, we are seeing that the people we see in these advertisements are not only becoming dehumanized, but materialized. We live in a materialistic society where valuables are more important than values. We are desensitized to the violence and sex we see. Like a drug, we need more and more. I believe advertising is going too far with sexuality to reach target markets and should slowly return to a more traditional method to sell products.

Patriarchy is a dominant social system that is thriving throughout the world. Men are the primary authority figures while women are expected to support the needs of her counterpart. Advertising is doing everything in its power to reinforce these beliefs. In the past, we see that men were in the suit and tie and women were in the kitchen making dinner. Now, we see that men are violently overpowering extremely sexualized women to prove that they are still the center of the social system. Bell Hooks explains, “Clearly we cannot dismantle a system as long as we engage in collective denial about its impact on our lives. Patriarchy requires male dominance by any means necessary, hence it supports, promotes, and condones sexist violence” (24, Hooks). What Hooks is also saying is that by allowing men to slowly deconstruct and sexualize women more and more through media, our social perception of women is slowly being dismantled as well. The purpose of these images is to make the consumer aware of their product and it’s use, however, the problem with the ads we see today is that we believe in the possibility of becoming

Addicts go to rehab for drug addiction. They are slowly introduced to a more healthy way of living until they can hopefully become clean. The same should go for advertising. Perhaps if we slowly introduced a different set of images, such as empowered women that are supported by their proud male counterpart, we could slowly make a change. The change in the way society views imagery can’t happen overnight. Berger says, “Transform the woman into a man. Either in your mind’s eye or by drawing on the reproduction. Then notice the violence which that transformation does. Not to the image, but to the assumptions of a likely viewer” (64, Berger). The imagery we see is just a starting point to which our imaginations use as a canvas to paint the scenario being conveyed. Should those images slowly become more empowering towards women while directing men’s attention from the body of a woman to her brain, we could possibly see a change in the way these ads are viewed.

The advertising and media we see are deeply rooted due to the ability pop culture has for glorifying such objectivity. Every year, men drool as they watch Victoria’s Secret models walk down the runway in new “fashion”. It has become a phenomenon. The beauty, fashion, and entertainment industries have commoditized sexuality and objectivity. The young generations see what these models are wearing, how they look, and are they are perceived. Young men want to be with them, and young women want to be them. It is a vicious cycle. Young women should be following the footsteps and imagery of someone like Ivanka Trump, who is a successful businesswoman, dresses with class and dignity, and has a presence that shakes the ground she walks on. Instead, they are concerned (and probably confused by) the flesh colored jumper that Miley Cyrus paraded around in. Pop culture serves one of the many foundations for media and advertising

Advertising is going too far. Society is addicted to sexuality and violence and media is capitalizing on it. The images we see are trying to sell a product, but the messages further reinforce patriarchy and gender roles in the world. Pop culture serves as a strong foundation for the media we see and does not help any attempt to reform the cycle of gender roles. We need to implement a new wave of imagery that encourages female empowerment along with cooperative relationships between male and female rather than male being dominant.

 

Hooks, Bell. “Understanding Patriarchy.” The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Atria, 2004. 20-33. Print.

Berger, John. “Chapter 3.” Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1973. 45-64. Print.

http://sadieamanda.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/i27m2bglad2b8bmp.jpg

http://www.ozonweb.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/wrangleranimals2.jpg

http://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp-content/gallery/sexualised-violence-in-advertising/enhanced-buzz-wide-10328-1372337132-10.jpg

 

SDC Teaser

In an effort to quench America’s insatiable thirst for new gadgets and gizmos, we’ve tackled an area previously ignored by our competitors and taken automotive transportation to the next level.

Meet our newly-patented Self-Driving Car, a vehicle that will take you to work or play with the same comfort you would experience riding along in a stretch limo, or one of those expensive horse-drawn carriages you might find circling around in Central Park on Valentine’s day. Simply input your destination and SDC’s onboard navigation system will do the rest. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.

Remember those days when you and your date had to make out in the back seat of a taxi cab after a long night of heavy drinking? With the SDC you’ll never have to deal with pesky cabbies eavesdropping on your love nest ever again. The only hot and bothered question is: “your place or hers?” If you feel like getting groovy on the way there, the interior of the vehicle will transform into your very own den of seduction with the soothing sounds of Kenny G’s soprano sax, serenading through the stereo. It’s all included free of charge with your purchase and scientifically proven to get even those stuck-up prudes in the mood.

Do you ever find yourself getting sleepy in traffic on your way to work? Have you ever dosed off–or even crashed behind the wheel? Let’s face it a bloody tie and a busted nose aren’t very becoming in today’s fast paced work environment. You could save hundreds–even thousands of dollars with the SDC. Catch some Z’s on your commute and show up at the office refreshed and rested, with all the extra energy you need to impress your boss.

Why put up with being the designated driver ever again? With the SDC, you and your buddies can drink as much as you’d like without ever having to worry about DUI’s or tragic fatalities at the hands of your dumbass. At the end of the night, just pile in and pass out, while the SDC takes you home safely. Don’t forget to buckle up!

It comes in a variety of styles and colors to satisfy any personal taste: From futuristic sci-fi chrome, to a sportier fire-apple red.

So if you like traveling with ease and style, Pick up a Self-Driving Car today. Recline your seat with confidence and peace of mind. And go ahead, put your feet up on the dash.

Final Project: How American filmmakers portray Asians

In my final project, I analyzed trends, statics and techniques made by film producers in Hollywood to see why and how they stereotype Asian American actors/actresses.  Asian-American actors are usually shown to have their roles diminished as martial arts experts only while having little screentime to actually act. I would have thought that if Asians can only hit Hollywood as martial artists then the rest of them is undesirable.  However there are many exceptions to this “rule,” that perhaps my correlation isn’t totally correct.  However this only means we shift the blame from devaluing Asian actors (and other minorities) to overvaluing white male actors.