Obama vs. Romney: Afghanistan

I decided to write about Afghanistan because it is an issue that is not talked in the media about as much as other issues such as the economy or even social issues. The United States has been in a war with Afghanistan since 2001. Since then, over 2,000 men and women have been killed. This war has been the longest war in our history. I was surprised at this fact because I always assumed that we  had been in Vietnam longer. It is important that voters are knowledgeable about all of the issues before they vote just ten days from now. Just recently both President Obama and Mr. Romney talked about their foreign policy positions and plans last Monday night at their final debate. President Obama's view on Afghanistan is that he plans to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of  2014. The troops will be transferring power as well as train  the Afghan security forces. About 30,000 will withdraw this year. This 2014 deadline was reached by both President Obama and the Afghan President Hamid Karzai.  Mr. Romney has not had a clear position in Afghanistan. Late last year, Mr. Romney called the withdrawal from Afghanistan an "electoral expediency" and "weak". In other words, President Obama was withdrawing so that he could be re elected. He has since changed on his position and agreed with President Obama at the last debate and said that the troops will be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014. Most republicans agreed that the United States should not leave Afghanistan. However Ron Paul, who also ran for the Republican ticket  last year said that we should leave Afghanistan and not get involved with any other wars or conflicts.  
   Many people have agreed that Mr. Romney does not have the foreign policy experience, however that was one of the greatest criticism for Obama when he ran for President in 2008. I think that we all need to pay more attention to what is going on in Afghanistan and around the world because our  troops are serving to protect this country  from harm against other nations.   

In The Service of What?- Connections

In the Service of What by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer is about the politics of service learning through the past decade in the United States. One point that the authors made was that service learning can improve communities in need, as well as providing a rich experience for students and community members. Funding for service learning began in the 1990's under President Clinton's National Service Trust act of 1993. The article also looked at two cases in which two different classrooms used service learning. One class directly went to places in their communities such as soup kitchens, or hospitals. The other classroom first studied the issues going on in their communities and how service learning could help both students and the community. Both these approaches are different but one is not wrong or better. 
Service learning is a great way to service the community that you live in. It also opens up the volunteer's eyes to what is going on outside of their own school. I found this video, that talks about service learning in their school and how it has been a positive experience for all of the kids there.
I connect this article with other articles we have read over the course this semester. I can first connect this reading with McIntosh's piece called "White Privilege" because of the general concept of that article.  Urban school children do not have as much privileged as white children who go to suburban schools. Most schools in the urban schools do not have alot of money; although they do get some money from the state as well as grants. This article reminded me of the backpack of privilege that McIntosh talks about. Having service learning in urban school's gives underprivileged schools and children a chance to have a backpack of privileged for a least a little while. 
I can also connect this article to Delpit's article "The silenced dialogue". Many of these articles that we read this semester can be related to Delpit. She talks about the culture of power that everyone in society follows. School especially follow this everyday. Children in urban school systems around this country are underprivileged, and therefore do not have the power. Having a chance to have service learning in their school has ultimate benefits to both the students, teachers and the surrounding communities.           
 

Sexism, Strength and Dominance: Masculinity in Disney Films

Cinderella Ate my daughter- argument

"Cinderella ate my daughter" is an extension of what we talked about in class last week. This article was written by Peggy Orenstein. She writes personal experiences between herself and her daughter. Although this article was interesting, I found myself disagreeing with her a few times. I understand that Disney movies portrays a bad image for girls. They will grow up waiting for their prince,not become independent and have a bad image about themselves. The problem I had with this article was that her child was in preschool. I think at that age they are not going to understand that Disney is bad. I think the girl would feel like an outcast if everyone else was talking about Disney and Cinderella and she had no idea what they were talking about. The ideas that come out of Disney is important to teach kids, but I believe it needs to be when they have a cognitive understanding, that there is a difference between reality and these fantasy worlds that is Disney.


 

GLSEN- Ready, Set, Respect

From the GLSEN website I chose the "Ready, Set, Respect" tool kit. This was interesting to me because it talks about  teaching respect within the elementary schools. Elementary school is the time where kids begin to learn how to respect each other, and to learn good and bad behaviors. If teachers teach young children what is good behavior, it will most likely stick with them throughout the rest of their life, if it is taught right. Elementary school children are young and naive, so there are not so many labels being said in school. I also believe that young children don't see color or difference as older children and adults do. The tool kit includes different activities that helps kids respect each other as well as provides different activities that shows kids that everyone is different. I can connect to this tool kit because when I was in elementary school, my school was involved in a program like this. Volunteers would come into classrooms and do some of these same activities. I can remember one day, the teacher would say "who likes peperoni pizza" and those kids would go  into one corner of the room. This activity was teaching kids that everyone is different. I really liked this tool kit, and I feel it could be used many times in elementary schools around the country.