Free Speech Friday: What is B-boying?

A lot of people have no idea what b-boying is. To some people unfamiliar with the culture, they see b-boying as a flashy dance style that incorporates a lot of power, flips, and other cool moves. However, b-boying is not to be mistaken with breakdancing (which encompasses all those flashy elements); b-boying is more about style, balance, originality, power, purpose, story-telling, and a way of life. This video (accompanied by the song) is eye-opening and intensely powerful because it tells a story of how b-boying can save lives, especially those who grow up in a poor environment infested with frustrations and crime due to poverty. To redirect tension and frustrations from breaking into outright physical violence, b-boying allows young boys from underprivileged areas to pour their energies and concentration on dancing with a purpose.  B-boying is a commitment, a life style that challenges you to push your body and mind to be the best it can be, requiring determination, perseverance, resilience, compassion, and an “all-out” mentality where you must believe you can do it. B-boying is about confidence while remaining humble; you need the confidence to execute and pull-through each move, and you need humility to save respect for everyone else pushing themselves through similar challenges. Through b-boying, communities are built and people within the community respect each other and can share their emotions, feelings, and stories through the art of dance. Though few words are exchanged, b-boying is a poetic style of communicating through body language, surpassing the limits of spoken language, what often seems to disconnect people of different nations and cultures. From toprock, uprock, downrock (ground work) to power, transitions, and freezes, b-boying is powerful because it brings together people of all different backgrounds and cultures, allowing room for understanding, curiosity, and compassion to blossom from the ground up.

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Post submitted by: Christina Trieu.

Free Speech Fridays: Narratives via Dance and Musical Performance

Mike Song and Mike Tompkins — Dance and Musical Performance

This performance is quite a bit dated (in terms of the internet), but I remember talking to one of my WSP colleagues about the internet, music, and dance and this came about. Of course, this video left a significant impression on me when I viewed it for the first time — it is indeed to integrate both the performances of music and dance to tell stories. It’s just that the narrative takes a different form, untypical of the written narratives a formal education tells us is the “true” narrative. Here, we see and hear the Mike Song the dancer and Mike Tompkins the musician provide narratives — one through the visual and the movements of the body, the other through auditory effects and distortions — all approaching the idea called love. Remember, narratives need not take place in the written context — they exist in other forms, and visual and/or musical performance provides one of those contexts.

See the other musical and dance performances on http://www.youtube.com/ds2udio.

Post submitted by: Courtney Lee

Free Speech Fridays: Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Usually when I watch videos on youtube I’ll skip through the commercials, but this particular video was way too intriguing to skip! As soon as I started listening to what the forensic artist and women were saying, I was like, “Wait, what?!”, because  you hardly  ever do come across commercials that see past the superficial. My favorite part of the video was when the women got to see the pictures they described of themselves next to the ones other people described of them. Many of the women teared up, as I did, because they realized that they judge themselves too harshly and don’t see themselves as beautiful as they really are. I think  because we are so socialized into believing that certain features and attributes are “beautiful,” that anything that deviates from those idealized features is considered “ugly” and/or “weird”.

At the end of this experience these women realize that they should be more grateful of their natural beauty and embrace the qualities about themselves that do matter. One woman puts it best when she says that how we see ourselves affects all other aspects of our lives and she’s right! If you are constantly conscious about your appearance you may spend your days comparing yourself to others, putting yourself down, and thinking negatively about yourself overall which only induces a lack of confidence. A lack of confidence will then determine what kinds of friends you make, your job opportunities, your love life, everything!  Love yourself for who you are, let the amazing qualities that make you you shine and I promise that those around you will also see how amazing you are and love you too! This video is absolutely uplifting and revolutionary because women should not have to live up to socialized and practically unrealistic ideals of beauty because we’re not supermodels and even they don’t look the way we think they do. Dove is unique for recognizing real women’s beauty and encouraging women to embrace what they do have and not focus so much on what they don’t. What matters and what is key is to love ourselves and to be confident because we are only given one life to live and one life only, so why live unhappy and discontent with yourself? I say, love yourself and  those around you will love you as well. Also, you don’t need a forensic artist and a random stranger to confirm your beauty; your beauty is there and the most important beauty lies within, it’s just that we let nonsense blind us.

Post by: Alexandra Barba

Free-Speech Friday: Charlie Chaplin’s Powerful Speech

In my American Sign Language 121 class, which is about mass media, we have been learning about silent films.  During class our professor showed us a film with Charlie Chaplin in it. As some of you may know, Charlie Chaplin was a huge star during the Silent Film Era.  The film sparked my interest, so after class I researched Charlie Chaplin on Youtube and stumbled upon this video of him giving a speech in The Great Dictator.

Charlie Chaplin’s speech is powerful and effective to me because of two reasons.  First, this speech was a response to what was happening at the time: World War II, and more specifically, Hitler’s dictatorship.  Chaplin dresses up like Hitler and acts as if he is Hitler; however, he shifts his entire view of humanity.  This is powerful to me because Chaplin was able to send a powerful message across the globe by using his fame.  While many may disagree with his political message, I believe that it’s impressive that he was so knowledgeable about the world events that he was able to reenact Hitler in a different light.  Additionally, I thought Chaplin’s speech was effective because he stepped out of his role as a silent film actor and entered the speaking realm in order to deliver a thought-provoking speech.  Typically Americans viewed Chaplin using his body and facial expressions to entertain.  Nevertheless, Americans now viewed him using his voice to proclaim a message that he wanted all people to hear.

Even if you don’t agree with what Chaplin is saying, I suggest watching one of Chaplin’s silent films (they are usually pretty short) and compare it to this speech.  The contrast is quite interesting!

Post submitted by Casey O’Neill

Free Speech Friday: The Issue of Our Time

“I hope you will stand on the right side of history”, it is with this line that Preacher Phil Snider closed his awe-inspiring speech at a Springfield City Council meeting in August of 2012. With simplicity, the preacher demonstrates the timelessness of segregation and discrimination as he defies his audience when he openly stands as a supporter of gay rights. When Snider asks his audience to transgress the cultural divide to appear on the right side of history, he illustrates how gay rights may in fact be the issue of our time. We are privileged to watch a civil rights movement unfold before our eyes. From Supreme Court cases to social media campaigns and even to student inspired movements, we play a hand in shaping the history that is before us.

No matter what side of history you stand on, he demonstrates the true power of words. As empowering as speech, writing, and the inner voice may be, words can prove to be equally as destructive. We sometimes must practice caution when we delve into the realm of words, as their connotations and deeper meanings can seep into something so significant as to determine an issue like gay rights.

What side of history will you be on?

 

Post Submitted By: Ashton

Free Speech Friday: How To Love

Although Lil Wayne may have some controversial lyrics in his music, this particular music video, “How To Love,” delivers a powerful message that deals with real life issues. In the video, we track a woman’s life from childhood to adulthood, and are given pivotal events in her life that influence her to live as a stripper. Instead of focusing on the what – the cold fact that she is a stripper, the video explores how she came to be one. By showing her life under physical abuse and emotional abuse, and then rewinding back to her childhood to show how her life could have turned out in parallel but better circumstances, the video reveals the scarring impact one’s environment can have on a person. This video is powerful because, even though we are shown a woman living as a stripper and (assumed) prostitute – what society tells us is the lowest and most immoral of characters, the video forces us to see past her social identity and recognize that she may not be at fault. By following the story of how she got to be where she is now, we are able to feel sympathy (if not empathy) for her because the video humanizes her, transforming her from a villain to a victim. The ending is significant as well because the positive life circumstances enable her to live a life that we identify as normal – a life of education, family support, and best of all, love.

Post submitted by: Christina Trieu.

Free Speech Friday: George Takei on his life

George Takei, actor and social activist extraordinaire, gives a TED lecture on making it to his version of Broadway. He discusses his struggles in making it to Broadway, from the institutionalized racism directed towards actors of Asian descent to the challenges he faced growing up as a Japanese person during World War II. During the war, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that sent persons of Japanese descent to internment camps all over the US because the group was perceived as a threat to American security. Now at age 75, Takei has led a successful career, most notably with the “Star Trek” franchise. Since he faced barriers to entering the real Broadway, he wrote his own musical on his childhood growing up in the internment camps and had it performed in San Diego. The effectiveness of this lecture lies in Takei’s horrifyingly real life experiences in the camps and his ability to invoke  humor to any situation while communicating important underlying messages. Through his internet-based social activism and his previous acting work, Takei delivers his own narrative on pursuing success and overcoming numerous challenges.

Post Submitted by: Courtney Lee

Free-Speech Fridays: Court Fight Over AZ classes taught from a Mexican-American Point of View

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/ben-shaprio-ethnic-studies-girls_n_2875774.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

I don’t know how you may feel about this interview, but I believe that it was extremely biased! Just listen to the comments made by the news reporter and notice the manner in which both the news reporter and Ben Shaprio interrupt the woman defending ethnic studies; the poor woman is practically being attacked! I was especially disturbed by how the Mexican-American students and parents were portrayed. I was so incredibly uncomfortable while I was watching this video and it seriously boiled my blood…honestly it brought tears of both disappointment and fury to my eyes. I don’t believe this woman was given a fair chance to defend her position on ethnic studies, so I want to take the chance to further this discussion here. The article I am about to quote can be found HERE, so if you are interested on educating yourself on the topic, and taking in a variety of opinions, please read this article; I definitely recommend it. After all, we should build our own opinions on such controversial topics with a range of information on the topic before we accept certain views.

“The Fight Over Ethnic Studies in Tucson, Arizona

As the new year opened, the outgoing head of public education in Arizona, Tom Horne, issued an official “finding” declaring that the Mexican American Studies program in the Tucson school district, one of four ethnic studies programs in that district, was in violation of a new state law that had just gone into effect. The finding by Horne—now the newly elected Arizona state attorney general—gave the Tucson school district 60 days to “comply” with the law. And the finding threatened that “the only way in which compliance can be effective within the next 60 days is by elimination of the Mexican American Studies program.” The Tucson school district could have 10 percent of its budget taken away, amounting to about $15 million, if it does not eliminate the program.

The law that went into effect on January 1 declares that a school district or charter school in Arizona cannot include in its program of instruction any course or classes that include any of the following:

1. Promote the overthrow of the United States government;

2. Promote resentment toward a race or class of people;

3. Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group; or

4. Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.

While the law does not make ethnic studies as such illegal, those behind the law have made no secret of their desire to get rid of the Tucson school district’s Mexican American Studies and other ethnic studies programs in the state.

This new law, passed by the Arizona legislature last April, came on the heels of Arizona’s reactionary anti-immigrant law, SB1070, which legalizes racial profiling by requiring police to stop and question anyone who they suspect is undocumented. That was followed by an announcement by the state’s Department of Education that teachers with heavy accents must be removed from classes for students still learning English. Many have interpreted this as targeting immigrant teachers who were first hired under a program to teach bilingual education, a program later abolished as part of the overall anti-immigrant climate.

The attack on ethnic studies represents yet another “brick in the wall” of an officially sanctioned white supremacy and American chauvinism in Arizona, while encouraging its spread around the country. Arizona has become an ugly battleground, and testing ground, for a new “Jim Crow,” reviving an official second-class status for the 30 percent of the people of Arizona who are Latino. (A federal judge issued an order that temporarily prevented Arizona from putting into effect several major provisions of the anti-immigrant law, but other repressive sections of the law did go into effect on July 29. See Revolution articles “Arizona’s Anti-Immigrant Law Is Inhumane & Illegitimate: Stop the System’s Fascist Attacks on Immigrants,” (#208, July 25, 2010) and “Behind the Federal Court Ruling: Vicious Attack on Immigrants Continue,” (#209, August 15, 2010), both online at revcom.us.)

The Importance of Ethnic Studies

In an online interview in July last year, Curtis Acosta, a high school ethnic studies teacher in Tucson and part of the group SaveEthnicStudies.org, said, “The purposes of our classes are varied, but our main objective is to rehumanize the academic experience for our students through culturally and socially relevant curriculum. It is no news flash that Latin@, African-American and Native American students have been historically marginalized and ignored in mainstream public school curriculum, and that the drop-out/push-out rates for our communities are far out of proportion compared to European-American students. The numbers are disturbing, unsettling, and as educators we have an obligation and responsibility to offer progressive pedagogical and curriculum changes to promote academic equality and achievement for all our students.” (Full interview is online at freshloveink.com/fli/tag/curtis-acosta.)”

As a Mexican American woman who proudly agrees with the information you have just read, the comments made my Ben Shaprio seriously boil my blood. How can he sum up an ethnic study course as “an excuse to meet girls and get an easy A”? I feel that by describing these courses in such a manner, my culture is being demeaned because in essence he is saying that my culture does not matter, it is simple, and who cares? Well, I’ll tell you what Ben Shaprio, I CARE! You may not have found your ethnic study course valuable, but I certainly have.

Let me just say that I thought I knew everything about being Mexican-American and being Chicana, but boy was I wrong. In my Chican@ Studies courses at UCLA, I have learned so much about my culture and so much that I feel I should have had the right to learn in the first place. I am thankful for these classes, but am saddened that my Chicano friends back home don’t have the same opportunities to sit in these classes and learn what I have. I do however try my best to share what I’ve learned with my family and friends.

Yes, Mexican-American studies may be “an easy A”, but you know why it’s an easy A? Because what I’ve learned in those classes is relevant to me, relevant to my experiences, and to the experiences of my ancestors. I’ve learned about the struggles Chicanos face in America because this history is true, why sugarcoat it and pretend it didn’t happen (like many U.S history books do)? The things I learned in these courses have not made me resent the Anglo Saxon race and have definitely not given me ideas on how to overthrow the government. I think it’s extremely ignorant to say that these are the results/outcomes of the class if these are not the things  being said directly by the students themselves.

What these courses did for me was allow me to learn about my my ancestry, understand my history, and motivate me to keep striving for my education. At one point in time, and not too long ago actually, the quality of my education did not equal that of Caucasian students and to a certain degree it still doesn’t. (But that’s a topic for another blog post). I now understand that I am not at UCLA for just me, but I am here for my family, for those who couldn’t make it, and for my community because they deserve to see me graduate and bring my knowledge and eye-opening experiences back to inform my community. I don’t understand why Ethnic studies is banned, practically feared, but I do have my inclinations. The only reason why I would think that Arizona wants ethnic studies to be banned is to keep Chicanos from succeeding. These courses make us aware, more directed, passionate, community-oriented, proud, and much, much more. Without these studies, Chicanos don’t learn about their history, tend to feel like foreigners in their own country, and this keeps them from moving their communities forward. This is what I believe the ban on Mexican-American studies is doing. As for the news reporter and Ben Shaprio, take a Mexican-American studies ethnic course and then state your opinions. These courses aren’t only meant for Chicano students, I think students of all other ethnicities would benefit from these courses as well.

We deserve to know our history, especially because Mexico was once part of the U.S! Have you ever wondered what happened to Mexican families and children when the territory they lived in became the U.S? If you ever want to be mind-blown, research that information.

Now that you know more of the facts, what do you think about including ethnic studies courses in schools?

Post by: Alexandra Barba

Free-Speech Friday: “Call Me Maybe” Military Version

In the midst of stressful moments it is so important to find something that makes you more calm, something that makes you laugh and enjoy the moment despite the stress you are undergoing.

For me, I de-stress by watching funny YouTube videos.  As I was browsing YouTube a couple weeks ago I found this video that completely made my day.  It’s a parody-like version of the music video “Call Me Maybe” performed by some US troops stationed in Afghanistan.

The reason I found this video to be powerful is that I realized that military personnel can have just as much fun despite the fact that they encounter some of the most dangerous and life-threatening situations that any person should face.  It reminds me of the fact that my stressful experiences are nothing compared to some others’.

So take a break from studying your butts off and watch this video!  I hope you enjoy it!

Post submitted by Casey O’Neill

Free Speech Friday: To this Day

The raw interpretation of a universal struggle is powerfully unveiled by Shane Koyczan’s spoken word entitled, “To this Day”. He demonstrates an eloquent reinterpretation of the frequently cited phrase, “when life hands you lemons make lemonade”. With pride, Koyczan channels the pain of his childhood into a saga of empowerment. The beauty of his spoken word is the liberating sense of relatibility he delivers in every word and image. In a wave of honesty, Koyczan touches on the chilling pain of bullies, depression, and a lifelong struggle with judgment; the dagger of suffering imposed by society. In doing so he demonstrates the dark side of words. We often celebrate the power of words as a magical form of self expression, as an outlet of deep ridden pain, and a catalyst of creative progression. Koyczan’s piece sheds light on the pain that can be imposed by words as a cautionary tale to his viewers. However, ultimately he uses words as his own savior, proclaiming that, “they were wrong”.

Post Submitted By: Ashton

Free Speech Fridays: Judy Garland’s “Over the Rainbow”

Judy Garland sings her titular song, “Over the Rainbow,” from the The Wizard of Oz in the above video. I used to remember the ukelele version a little better, but ever since I was presented the original version with Judy Garland’s magical contralto voice singing her emotions, this one shall persist in my memory. When Garland repeats the lines, “If happy little bluebirds fly / beyond the rainbow then / why, oh, why can’t I?”, I am reminded of the awareness that one needs to cultivate in order to fully realize their dreams. As long as paths exist leading “over the rainbow,” passing that rainbow will happen. The desires of escaping small-town Kansas farm life and looking for something more colorful remind me that there are always dreams to have and  to follow through with. These dreams may be somewhere over the rainbow, but at least we know that they exist within our consciousness and conscience.

Post submitted by: Courtney Lee

Free Speech Fridays: Are we really human?

This video is jaw dropping! I can’t believe a dog has more compassion than these human beings! It’s heart wrenching to watch this little girl get run over and the person in the car doesn’t even try to help her, they just take off. What’s even more difficult to take in is the fact that several people pass by and act as if she is not even there. One woman moves her out of the way but does not even attempt to call the police, it’s unbelievable how inhumane some people can be. Although it may be difficult to watch, it’s important to realize that things like this still occur in the world and in order for us to move forward and stop it, we need to become aware of it. I hope that we can have more compassion than the people in this video and help one another in cases like these, or even minor cases, even if we do not know one another.

Post By: Alexandra 

Free-Speech Friday: Admitting the Truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdryiAGazjI

One very controversial issue in the sports world is the use of illegal substances to enhance one’s performance.  We have seen this time and time again by athletes in varying sports fields.  Perhaps one of the most shocking admittance of such a occurrence as of late is Lance Armstrong’s.  Lance Armstrong, the winner of seven consecutive Tour de France titles, just admitted to “doping” to win all seven of the Tour de France titles in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.  According to his biography (read here), Armstrong admitted to doping his entire career.

What I specifically want to focus on in this post is the effectiveness of yes/no questions in evoking the truth out of someone.  Oprah skillfully asks a series of yes/no questions that force Armstrong to tell the truth in a direct, rather than round-about, manner.  We can see the amount of difficulty that Armstrong has while admitting the truth as his face clenches after he says “yes” to all of Oprah’s questions.  Some people say that you can tell when a person lies by looking them dead in the face and demanding that they tell the truth and they squirm after lying.  In this case, it is obvious that he is telling the truth: it is painful to him.  While Oprah is not aggressive, she is quite straightforward; she is no-nonsense about this issue.

I believe Oprah’s approach is effective because she is successful in her attempt to evoke the truth out of Armstrong despite the fact that it is quite uncomfortable for him.  In this moment, she is in control of the situation, not him. She acts as an interrogator, refusing to comment on Armstrong’s responses until later in the interview.  I chose to show this video because I think it was quite brave of Armstrong to go live on the Oprah Winfrey show to admit the truth.  Also, I believe that the way Oprah interviewed him was fantastic. She asked just the right questions to make him feel uncomfortable, but then she later made up for this by steering away from the yes/no questions that created distance between the interviewer and the interviewee.

Post submitted by Casey O’Neill

Free Speech Friday: I Like Giving

I Like Giving is not your average awareness campaign. It truly seeks to inspire action: selfless, genuine, heartfelt action. In an attempt to shift the world’s attention away from ourselves and towards those in need, the giving campaign is really about cultivating a community of altruistic happiness.

 “This is a campaign for a generous world because we believe a generous world is a better world for all of us. But we don’t want your money, we want your action.”

The organization seeks to inspire others with simple, yet significant actions of selflessness. It encourages individuals to create their own I like________ campaigns. The I like 100% campaign inspires others to leave a 100% tip with their next restaurant bill. Or the I like groceries campaign where an individual pays for the groceries of the individual behind them.

It’s the simple accessibility of this campaign that makes it so inviting and meaningful.

The film speaks to this notion of active generosity. We, human beings, are moved by watching others. I too hope you are inspired to pave your own path, positively affect another person, take the big leap, and pay it forward.

Live generously.

Post Submitted By: Ashton 

Free Speech Friday – Adventure Time: Learning the way of Lemongrab

Above is a short clip of the character Lemongrab trying to adapt to cuddly “candy style,” a way of living that extremely differs from his own. To watch the full episode of Adventure Time’s “You Made Me” (11 minutes), check out the link below and click ‘watch movie’:

Adventure Time Episode: You Made Me

Adventure Time is a cartoon show that caters to all ages, from kids to adults, where it uniquely attempts to induce the audience into a complex state of feeling happy and sad at the same time. The main characters are Jake (the dog) and Finn (the human boy), who are constantly looking for adventure and monsters to fight. However, in the episode “You Made Me,” there are no monsters to crush or mazes to triumph – only the eccentric character of Lemongrab, who all the citizens of Candy Kingdom find unpleasant and troublesome. Although Jake and Finn want to get rid of Lemongrab by using violence, Princess Bubblegum (the ruler of Candy Kingdom) tells them not to use force and alternatively promotes nonviolent ways to help Lemongrab. For instance, instead of forcing him to conform or change to fit in, Princess Bubblegum accepts that Lemongrab is different. Because she believes that part of his frustrations stem from misunderstanding how candy people like to be treated, Princess Bubblegum tries to help Lemongrab understand the way of the candy people (as shown in the clip above).

In the clip above, we witness that Lemongrab tries to adapt to the candy style of cuddling and expressing affection, yet he does not succeed. This then furthers his frustrations and anger towards the idea that he even has to change when he believes his way is right. From these two contrasting ways of life (the candy style and the Lemongrab way), we can parallel these differences to the various perspectives that people carry in every day life. Because not all people are born and raised the same, we are bound to have firm beliefs and values that differ from one another; our individual experiences shape our perspectives and reality of what is right or wrong. To Lemongrab, as he expresses at the end of the episode, “A lemon gives by taking and cares by yelling.” From his statement, the audience is challenged to understand and accept how a lemon shows affection even if we might not normally deem this way as caring or loving. That is not to say that Lemongrab is off the hook for some of his extreme and harmful actions. Though we want to try and understand the intentions of Lemongrab, this is not to be mistaken with forgiving his actions because inflicting pain on others against their will is NOT acceptable in any way of life.

As the resolution to Lemongrab’s frustrations and loneliness of having no one who understands him, Princess Bubblegum creates a clone of him. Now, Lemongrab has a friend who understands his ways and can empathize with him. I find this solution to be extremely significant in that it sends a powerful message to the viewers: there is no “right” way of living, only different ways to live. Also, none is better than another because both ways can carry meaning when not causing harm. Therefore, when we are presented with a challenging character or especially a difficult person to deal with, we mustn’t jump to conclusions and judge them as outlandish or unpleasant, but instead we should try to understand where they come from and what they intend because actions are not always representative of intentions.

* Post submitted by: Christina Trieu

Free Speech Fridays: Retrofitting Suburbia from Ellen Dunham-Jones

http://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_dunham_jones_retrofitting_suburbia.html

I am fascinated by cities and the built environment but less so towards the homogeneous environments typical of suburbia. Strip malls, endless parking lots, the wall to wall cement found on the lengthy freeways, perceived privacy, and extensive car dependency characterize suburbs. In this video, Dunham-Jones shares her take on suburbs: they will not be disappearing anytime soon, but how can we, as people, find another use for these places that were born in an area that needed them? Now that people and their attitudes towards living their lives change, how can these places adapt to suit their needs, whatever they may be? The empty building that housed a supermarket some years ago has not had another market occupy the space in years, so what else can be done? All these are valid questions to ask when repurposing the old to fit the needs of the new generation.

Dunham-Jones poses the questions and addresses potential solutions through her style of presenting her argument. She evaluates the problem from the current situation and the historical context that led up to it, presents solutions drawn from real-life examples, and then poses unanswered questions that intended for follow-up. This method can be commonly found in papers and presentations analyzing policies and making recommendations. From the defined structure of Dunham-Jones’ talk, the content comes clearly to the viewer. Furthermore, her words and delivery structure motivate the us to answer the question, what do we want in suburbia now that its original intention fell out of favor?

Post submitted by: Courtney Lee

Free Speech Fridays: No arms, No Legs, NO WORRIES!

When I first watched this video I couldn’t help but cry because I was so touched by the message Nick Vujicic leaves us with. Nick reminds us that it can be easy to forget what we do have because sometimes we become so focused, almost obsessed, with what we don’t have. At the age of 8, Nick had already determined his future and was unable to see how valuable his life was. What makes Nick’s story so inspiring is the fact that he was able to face the reality of his condition and rather than being miserable and bitter about his life, he found it much more important to enjoy being alive. Although he faces challenges that many of us wouldn’t even fathom as being a challenge, he continues to stay optimistic and as he mentions, “smiles so much”. I think it’s beautiful that Nick leaves us with this message and tries to share this message with young students so they too can recognize the importance of just being grateful for what life does give us. Yes you may not have what that other person has, but what do you have that you take for granted?

Finals week is a few days away and if you are anything like me, you are probably saying things like “Jeeeez! I wish I didn’t have to take these finals” or even “Gosh I wish I was someone else right now!”  BUT, after seeing this video I recognize that I should be grateful for just being a UCLA student and having an opportunity to make my future much better than what my parents were able to offer me. Growing up I didn’t have my own room and I was utterly ashamed to tell my friends that my bed was the couch. It took me a very long time, actually not until my senior year of high school when I began to apply for college, to realize how wrong I had been for being ashamed of my reality. I was ashamed for what I didn’t have, but I was never grateful for what my parents were able to provide me with. I had never thanked them for giving me some of the important things in life, which is love, motivation, and a roof over my head for 18 years of my life. Not many people can say that they have parents who love and push them to try their hardest, or even say that they have homes or parents at all, and because of my obsession over what I didn’t have, I was blind to the things God had given me.

I know that if it hadn’t been for the struggles I faced as a child I would have never been the student I was and I would not be writing this post as a UCLA student. Sometimes it’s through our struggles, and the things we don’t have, that we find the strength to pursue even greater things. I think this is the message that Nick Vuicic wants us to understand. So, although you may be frustrated over a certain situation you may be in, or complain over something you don’t or can’t have, I challenge you to reflect on your blessings. Also, think of the moments where you may have not obtained what you wanted , but were able to gain something else, like a lesson or a different, but equally positive, opportunity. Had Nick let his disability stop him from enjoying life, he would have never learned to do all the things we see him do today, like swim, play golf, and even get married! Maybe if we stop dwelling in our own challenges, we can find different ways to overcome them and gain something that we would have NEVER thought otherwise!

Post By: Alexandra Barba 

Free Speech Fridays: Ellen DeGeneres- Commencement Speech 2009

In her commencement speech to the graduating class of Tulane University Class of 2009, Ellen DeGeneres shares her experiences that have made her into the confident and free spirited person she is today. She emphasizes the importance of being true to yourself and not letting anyone else dictate what is important to you. Her manner of speaking throughout the speech proves how comfortable she is within her own skin, and she exudes this natural confidence that is a result of the struggles she had experienced and overcome. As a college undergraduate student, I am still in the process of discovering who I am and learning to love the different facets of myself that I discover. Ellen’s speech touched me deeply because of the fact that she risked everything she had worked for in order to be true to herself. She admitted to having lost everything in one point of her life, but she can now live her life being honest with herself and those around her. This inspirational and hilarious speech invokes a sense of purpose and strikes a cord for the rest of us who are still on that path of discovering who we are. Take a look at her amazing speech (even if just for the pure hilarity Ellen creates) and write your comments below!

Post submitted by Lauren Park

Free Speech Fridays: John Wooden—The Difference Between Winning and Succeeding

The essence of John Wooden is manifested in his natural tendency to teach. John Wooden’s personable appeal is the foundation for his powerful ability to touch the lives of those around him. As the centerfold of UCLA rhetoric, Wooden’s genuineness lends credibility to his teachings. Wooden reveals the intricacies of success by demonstrating that triumph is not limited to victory, but rather emphasizes the character building that drives this journey towards success. The intuitive manner in which Wooden speaks encourages each one of us to seek out this character building and discover our own ability to be a teacher, for ourselves and for those around us. Wooden helps us understand that with patience in heart and mind we must seek change, as there is no progress without change.

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

 –John Wooden

Post Submitted by: Ashton 

Free Speech Fridays: Leslie T. Chang – “The Voices of China’s Workers”

In this video, Leslie Chang provides a (not-so-often thought of) perspective on what Americans call the exploitation of Chinese workers; she lifts the veil of invisibility and brings us the thoughts and voices of 18 and 19-year old female Chinese factory workers who share their dreams of having a family and ambitions of upward mobility through education. Because Chang opens with what may seem as an attempt to assuage any guilt we may carry from indirectly exploiting these workers through purchasing certain products, some viewers argue that she does not do justice to the Chinese workers because she strips us of the sympathy we may have had towards them. However, I believe that Chang’s intentions are not primarily focused on making us feel better or less guilty (because that would be counter to the egotism that she was trying to steer us away from); instead, Chang attempts to shift our views of Chinese workers from our limiting assumptions of what we think to a more realistic and tangible understanding that invokes what the Chinese workers are really thinking of their factory experiences. In doing so, Chang does not compromise the compassion we have for these distant, invisible workers, but rather pushes us to make more personable connections with them through their stories so that we acknowledge that they have a voice different from the ones we may imagine. By habit, we may tend to unknowingly shut out or exclude the voices of Chinese workers by imagining or creating a false idea of what the workers feel or think. I say a “false idea” because we do not really have a true idea until we have worked in their shoes or personally interacted with them. By replacing what we conjecture their thoughts to be with what their actual thoughts are, we are able to bridge some of the distance between us and the workers; we have an actual voice in our heads and a personal story to think about when we trade our own hard work for a product made through their hard work. At the end of the day, these heard voices bring about the visibility of female Chinese workers.

Post submitted by: Christina