Maria Varela

A few nights ago the aspiring Maria Varela came and told us her story about the struggles and successes she experienced in her life.  I was motivated by her valour and willfulness to taken on the world and do what she believed to be right, no matter what the consequences were.  She joined the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee in 1962 and has been doing it ever since.  Varela told us about that she went to the USC library to look at the newspapers from the past to see how much time has changed and she found an article from the 50's arguing that students were not aloud to speak their mind.  It is quite amazing how things have changed.  How in the 50's the civil rights movement just started to grow and how that movement changed history by fighting the common belief that African American's were not equal to making them equal.  Varela told us when she was teaching her students, instead of giving them arbitrary things to read, she wrote stories that would relate to them and it made it easier for them learn a lot faster.  It is interesting how a hispanic woman in the 50s could make such a difference just by going after what she perceived as right.
Her most important and famous attributes were the photos she took.  She took some of the most heartening photos of what was happening to the people around her.
It is amazing how she saw things in such a positive way and kept moving on even though she had mountains to climb.


"Around Matt's studio were photography books about Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange and others who had captured dust bowl refugees, migrant workers and the rural poor of America. I never thought of myself as capable of creating such compelling images. I just wanted to be able to make practical photos, useful to movement organizers. But the Lange and Evans images were ever-present ghosts in the darkroom, challenging me to see differently. Under Matt's tutelage, honed by intensive shooting and long hours of printing, I came to love that moment when the image floated up through the developing solution."

"The media implied that 'black power' was imposed on the southern rural movement by urban-raised black militants. Through the lens, I saw differently. Mirrored in the eyes of that youth was a strength and pride that had been freed from within."

Reinvented, indeed

Since the American Dream means a myriad of things to everyone whether it be owning your own home, paying all your bills, having children, or becoming a billionaire, I think the American Dream is a perpetual reinvention.  As life progresses, we yearn for different things, we dream different things.  The dream is shifting to, as James Truslow Adams said, "not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position."  I love this American Dream.  I think a “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” is a beautiful fantasy (Adams).  "One that emphasizes community, ecological sustainability, and a celebration of non-material values, while upholding the spirit of the traditional American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (Hartmann).

Economic

In life, everyone dreams of becoming the most successful, prosperous individual on the planet, yet it one of the most difficult dreams to accomplish.  Since the downfall of the economy, the American Dream is looking more like a "dream" instead of a verisimilitude.  Money is depleted for most individuals, including myself, because employers are cutting back on wages.  The ideal of the economic downfall is ironic because in order to make money from a product, one has to invest in a product, but people have stopped investing which is why we are in this sticky situation.  If people started buying more products, then the pyramid of the employer paying the employee chain effect would fix our problem.  It's like the saying goes, "What goes around, comes back around." Now a days, it looks like the economy is getting moderately better, but the dream is far from being graspable.

Rodney King

As I searched the web to find the most interesting event to talk about, I stumbled upon Rodney King.  Why Rodney King?  Why not Rodney King!  "We often hear that we should learn from history... however-- what should we learn from history?"  I think Rodney King is a great example of learning from history.  This event is important because, of him, people of America finally saw what white policemen back in the 90's were doing to black men and that it was not all just a rumor.  This event was nationally known due to a person videotaping the whole event.  It was proof.  Actual evidence that the event happened; while it did show the police beating him, it didn't show the whole story.  I am going to keep looking though Rodney's history before the arrest to see how he got to the point of speeding down the highway going 100 miles per hour to the point of where he is today.  I'm going to get the point of view of Rodney himself, the people who watch it happen, the people who saw it on TV, and the people who did it.

Observation

The twinkling sun peering from every tree is one of my favorite things about the Santa Monica Food Market.  The "California Certified Farmers' Markets (CFM's) were established in 1978, when then-governor Jerry Brown signed legislation known as the Direct Marketing Act. This enabled California farmers to sell their own produce directly to consumers at locations designated by the Department of Agriculture goals of providing reasonably priced, high quality produce to the city's population, and bringing more foot traffic into the downtown area."  The Market has never ceased to disappoint me with either its culture or food products.  There is every type of people imaginable there wether he has soft cimmerian skin, she has smaragdine eyes, or he has aeneous hair; everyone is accepted, even children.  People of different styles ranging from hipster to bohemian is present.  While the Market only sells one style of clothing, no one is looked at weird for shopping out of their style.  The food also ranges from different colors to different flavors.  A person can either eat there or take some food home.  The only thing I would sort of change would be the seating.  There is a little cafe in the middle of the Market and there are only so many seat, which is annoying because sometimes after a long day of shopping for either food or clothes there, you want to sit!  I find this a great public place because any body can set up a tent and sell their goods.  It has almost everything a public place needs: culture, variety, a bathroom, and serenity.  Has anyone ever been there? The Market only runs on Sundays; so if you have a chance of going, tell me how you like it and if you think it is a great public place!

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

Los Angeles, I'm Yours is a story about how Los Angeles, California is like a drug: once you are here, you cannot leave.  He describes LA like a drug.  When you get here to California, it is like the first shoot up of a drug and you are forever chasing the first high.  The song also relates to a bad relationship; you want to leave, but you can't because it's what you are used to.  I honestly, love this song, but at the same time, it is not how I view the California Dream. I see the Dream as a place where bad things can happen, but also wonderful things happen more often.

New idea of my version of the California Dream

Honestly, I am not from California, so when we were assigned to write about our version about the California Dream, I really had no idea what mine was.  After dissecting a couple songs about California, I realized what my dream was.  Throughout my essay, I changed my opinion from a generic answer, to a more specific answer. I knew coming here to California, it was not like how it is in the movies.  So I didn't come here thinking it was a dream land; I came here thinking it was a place of freedom of expression.  I feel like every time I walk outside, I am free. Free from worries, free from controversy, free from everything, just free. Almost like a bird, I am able to go where I want, when I want.  I know California is dangerous, but it also is wonderful.  The colors around me sparkle in the sun.  I love to watch and take pictures of the pink/purple sunset in the background of the palm trees.  I accept that nothing will ever be perfect in California; but, really, when is anything really perfect? I love California and I hope to stay here for as long as I can.

My California Dream

Coming to California from the south and soaking up every piece of the California air is my version of the California Dream. Moving from a smallish town to the lively lights of downtown is where I start my dream.  I believe going after what you want is a dream in itself, so the California dream, to me, is going after what you want.  I believe here, in California, I will discover who I am as a person in the world and I will learn as much as I can about the film industry since I am located in the middle of the film business. I hope I never awake from this dream I'm dreaming.

Dummy Post

The quick red fox jumped over the lazy brown dog.

The University of Southern California has the smartest students!


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