Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Black or White? whats the difference?


 "scene from the movie Roots"

African Americans have been discriminated on since the beginning of time. Before and after slavery African Americans have been treated unfair, unequal and have been seen as menace to societies. More than half of African American male population in the U.S is incarcerated. In most cases this is not by choice, we are seen as thugs, gangsters, and uneducated human beings. On movies, TV shows, and music videos African Americans are betrayed as threats. The stigma around this has been around for years and is still very active in the southern states of America. African Americans continue to force the fact that we are all equal and the color of our skin doesn't make us any different from anybody else. Many of my People have died fighting against racism for many of years, but as you can see young African Americans are so confused that they are beginning more and more eager to kill themselves. In poor communities Angry African American teen grab a hold of guns in their neighborhoods and kill one another.
           K-12 schools are not teaching the whole truth about the history of the African American Culture. The Country hides the pain and suffering behind African American slavery which causes the offspring of the African American people to not understand the importance of those events in the early and mid-1900's. Not knowing where we come from or even knowing the value of all the events that took place in the 1960's. The African American Culture has been wiped out and erased and recreated into what American society wants us to believe.  

My Commitment to YearUp..


My Pledge to YearUp

I Michael Carter, Pledge to complete every assignment or task correctly and consistently to the best of my abilities. By working on my time management and staying productive at home.


I Pledge to continue to excel in Business Communications class and eventually earn a higher grade. By increasing my study habit and doing my best to eliminate procrastination in my daily routine.


I Pledge to raise the bar day-by-day, and continue to push myself until I reach the top of success in my YearUp journey. By using my resources in and out of class and applying these tools in my internship.

I Pledge to stay focused and mute the outside noise by engaging with my excellent elite YearUp colleague’s



Signature,

Michael Carter II

   

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

"They want us to kill Ourselves" Gentrification pt. 1



I choose this clip from the movies Boys in the Hood, because me being a black man the word Gentrification has multiple meanings. In my lifetime living from house to house I've noticed this happening to my neighborhood in many different a cations. In East Oakland I've seen land lords raise up the prices of there rent every month on the people that have been living there for along time. Forcing them to move to Antioch or even Fair field were there rent would be affordable for these low income people to live. I also recall moving from city to city going in and out of schools making it harder for me to learn. when I lived in East Oakland allot of my neighbors buildings were abandon. However rite around the corner a house was being sold for double its value. Allot of my friends were forced to relocate to a shelter or far away were living is affordable for there families to live. This process enables children to learn basic education, making it easier for them to drop out or even gang bang.
    

Saturday, March 31, 2012

I'm a walking Advertisement......






 I specially chose this commercial because it's an advertisement for McDonalds famous "chicken nuggets" Featuring two of my friends back in New York names; Bones,and DJ Aaron. It shows a prime example of McDonalds using a creative form of dance to basically grasp consumers attention into buying these unhealthy chicken nuggets in fast food restaurants such as McDonalds. What's a better way of advertising a product using something as simple as "Bone Breaking". A dance style that was Originated in previouse years in the streets of Brooklyn New York. It turned out to be very popular among youth in the US... I feel like since this style of dance is so mind blowing to anyone's eyes it persuades consumers into being interested into purchising Mcdonalds chicken nuggets. Companies are constantly looking for new unique ideas to support there product. In this case this commercial add benefits the dancers and Mcdonalds,howerver McDonalds benefits a lot more. Me being a dancer, I feel like a walking advertisement. During Movies, Television shows, and music videos use me as a way to sell there products. I feel so used all the time lol this is another reason why I value this lesson. My manager would always have free shirts for me to perform in. He would say " Dont worry about the brand just GO Hard". Then weeks latter he would explain to me how the company wants to fund me. But something about this method makes me feel unsatisfied. I'm thinking... "am I being used? I began to ask myself questions like; I'm I recording this vedio for me or this company? That's another conversation. This lesson was relevance to me because it helps me become aware of the strategies companies use to advertise there products. THANK YOU Gmail: Mc431503@gmail.com Please add comments LCE

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

First Impression 24/7

      I will try my best to make a good impression and complete all my assignments in Yearup. I understand that my first impression is my last impression. Nature created me to become a performing Artist. My heart and my passion is engaged with music and Hip-Hop, but because of the unfair economy. I struggle to eat and pay the bills for my beautiful family that I love so much. I must put my performing life on hold and handle my responsibilities at Yearup. Completing Yearup wont be an easy task, but I truly believe if I use all my resources I can impress not only my Teachers, but also myself. Since my first day in class I learned the importance of building a Community, and the impact this has on my ability to learn. My perception of being in class was scary because of my past experiences at my last school. It were as if nobody wanted to be there or they were forced to come. Yearup is the complete opposite. Everyone smiles, people treat me like family. Its only been three weeks and I already feel like a new man. Yearup also showed me how badly I needed a tailor. I appreciate the strict contract used only to benefit myself. Even when I earn infractions I have no choice but to stay positive and learn from the mistakes Ive made in the previous week. This is only half the fight. I'm embarrassed to mention that I don't have a computer, but thanks to Yearup I have access to the schools computers. The only problem I have with this situation is completing the assignments assigned on the weekend. Being optimistic includes not taking "NO" for an answer or settling for less. I find a way to a computer after school hours but this is one of the challenges I struggle with daily. Me being a dancer, my motivation is sky high.
I plan to learn as much as I can in Pro skills class. I truly believe every class stores good information. I plan on attending every class and putting my all in every project or assignment. Tech class is my favorite class. I love to be challenged while learning new things. Also being born into the internet makes "Chi Chi,"s class much more interesting. I believe with the tools she's teaching us, we will all be financially fit with our IT jobs. I also enjoy Tech class because I love playing with my Ipad and learning knew thing about this great invention.
I know My Business & Communication class will be a struggle, at least I have a tremendous teacher. His name is the same as mines, and he is from South Africa isn't that cool!!! Its a honor to be in his class. The importance of grammar and email etiquette is overlooked. I learned the importance of networking is all based on your ability to speak proper English and type proper documents. I know Yearup will be a roller coaster. But I believe in myself and they do to