Hi Everyone,
It was nice to formally meet all of you yesterday. There are a few familiar faces and I love to see that. :) I look forward to working with all of you this year, reading your writing, and seeing how you progress through this program this year.
Good session yesterday. Many of you asked thoughtful questions and I could see you thinking about the context of the film and how timely the subject matter is today. I could see many of you relating to the film from various points of view and I hope that you spend time talking about what you think.
For those of you who didn't ask questions or share comments during our discussion, I'm interested in some of the conversations you had on the way back to your schools. What were some of you thinking after viewing the film?
Please feel free to share your thoughts, comments, and questions with all of us.
And remember, this website is a safe and respectful space for comments so please be respectful of everyone's opinions and views.
Thanks!
Dionne
69 comments:
Chantell(Brookhaven High School),
The black out movie was nice. What i thought was interesting was that how the man was raping at the begining telling us about the politics and the war in irac. iI also liked how Cynthia Mckinney fought for us and how she didnt stop until it was right.
Khalilah(Brookhaven high School),
I really thought this movie was intresting. I thought that Cynthia McKinney's struggle for what she believed in was very strong of her. Throghtout this movie i learned that about 90,000 thoushnd people did not get to vote in Florida. I believe that the scam that the government pulled so that Bush could with the election was so WRONG of them. I wonder what the world would be like if Al Gore would have become president. Would we be in war? Would we be in debt? Would we be at the worse point in economic history?
Cynthia McKinney was known for her rebellious behavior. She went against the government and suggested that they should look into the incident at 9/11 more. I think this act is defiantly justified. She did to help better our understanding of what happened but they ignored her and mocked her.
In the documentary, the dissension against the government was viewed as a good thing. When Cynthia McKinney said they should look into the previous, some may have said that was an act of rebellion. It seems like, in post- 9/11 America, any criticism of the government is viewed as unpatriotic. I think everything McKinney did was justified, because accepting and trying to correct your government’s flaws is the one of the most American things a person can do.
McKinney is very loyal to the people of Florida. Instead of deciding to ignore the voting problems, she addressed it in a bold and transparent way. She made the issue public, even though it put her in the position to be publicly mocked by the government and media. I feel that McKinney’s loyalty to her supporters and her drive to preserve her voter’s opportunities was, in this case, a very good thing.
Cynthia is very loyal to her ideas and her party. The republicans voted democrat against her to make sure she wasn't elected. And she got very negative media responses. However she stayed true to herself and her party and she kept going
I really enjoyed the documentary. I learned a lot more about the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 than I'd ever known before. I had no idea that certain African-Americans were denied the right to vote, much less NINTY-THOUSAND in the state of Florida alone. After watching this documentary I felt a lot more informed about presidential elections in general, and I think that knowing these facts and about the actions of people like Cynthia McKinney, will help me to become a better civic-minded citize, in the future.
Cynthia McKinney demonstrated a lot of courage continuing to run for Congress, even after threats and being stalked multiple times. Had I been in that situation, I don't know that I would have had the drive or will-power to continue to "spread the truth" and "ask questions about the truth"; whether it be the right thing to do, or not.
Cynthia McKinney was loyal to America and the truth. As she said if you love your country you dissent. She did not want to see America rot and fester and turn her back to the problems. She was loyal to her country and fought to uphold and find the truth and fix it.
McKinney chose to question 9/11 and the actions of the Bush Administration when nobody else was. It was a perfect time to act for no one else was. Her action was greeted with hostility and she was written off as conspiracy theorist and UnAmerican; and made in to a fool. But her actions also brought others out to her cause.
The main act of dissension that was portrayed in this documentary was Cynthia McKinney's fight to find true answers to many controversial, unasked questions about the events of 9/11. By trying to find the answers to these questions and by actually asking these questions themselves, McKinney thrust her self into the news where she was slandered, attacked, and accused of being anti-American. All of these defamations were brought about simply because McKinney was questioning the government. However, even though many people disagreed with her actions, her investigations were justified because she was doing her duty as an American of trying to uncover information that could better the country as a whole.
Ian Inaba took decisive action by publishing this documentary. He created this documentary to specifically showcase how America had been malignantly manipulated so that the Republican party could gain political power. He showed this by providing evidence on how great numbers of African Americans were disenfranchised in the 2000 and 2004 elections because they had a propensity to vote for candidates of the Democratic party. It could easily be inferred that this film was released at the time it was in order to convince people not to let the same travesties take occur during the 2008 presidential elections.
The actions taken in the documentary were bringing up the things no one wanted to hear and trying to teach the public about it. this was done by McKinney. It was the perfect time to act because of the events of 9/11 and of the odd occurrences in voting.In the End she lost her position again but is still trying to educate the public.
Loyalty comes up alot. Political loyalty when the people switch sides to get McKinney out of her office. Also is the Loyalty of the government to people who ask questions. I feel that when people choose to be disloyal they are lying to themselves and it makes me sick to my stomace. To know people can turn on you with the slightest suggestion from another person.
“Cries of America ”
So many questions
No one who’ll explain.
What are we fighting for?
Freedom they say,
But it’s hard to interpret
When enslaved by the government
Lynched electronically
you TOOK MY VOICE!
Why should I vote if no one’s
listening?
90,000 people,
357 votes,
You do the math
This is a Jim Crow Election
I’m not taken seriously
Ask Cynthia McKinney, but
I forgot you go deaf,
Whenever she speaks.
Look what has come to pass
Another recession and
We’re still at war
This is an example of
the American Blackout
The nonexistent conversation
That we question, but the
Congress is too afraid to address
Citizens ignorant of
The madness in our own land
Excused from discussions
Of the direction of our country
Testimonies and witnesses
Step up to confess
To only be dismissed
As though there is no issue
American Flags thrown
In the trash
Without being burnt first
People living the states
To get away from this crisis
Body count adding up,
Coming from overseas
Brothers, Fathers, Sisters
Are dying
For a war with no cause but a major effect
To attempt to mute a situation so huge
Is outrageous,
But with closed eyes, we go blind like it doesn’t exist,
So we let go and let the government make our decisions
~ By Reina Thomas
~ After watching this film I ask myself: why, why should I exercise my right to vote if seems to not make a difference? I’m not old enough to vote yet, but why should I in the future if the results will be the same as 2000 and 2004? I actually remember standing in a line, with my mom at Northeast Recreation for three hours in the rain, wondering why it was taking so long. Then visiting my grandparent’s home in New Albany and hearing them say that they, came in and out in no time to vote.
Wow, Reina. This is a powerful statement! Thank you for sharing...
And thank you all for exchanging your thoughts with each other. I think it is important to ask ourselves why our democratic process is important. Why should we have a say in how this country is run? These policies will affect us all right?
I hear the apathy and skepticism out in the community and I understand it's tough because of the history of the election process in this country. 2000 and 2004 showed us that our vote counts more than ever. I know it doesn't seem fair; but we must continue to inform ourselves and keep our voices out there for Washington D.C. to hear. They will make and inact policies that will affect everyone--from the eldest of our country to youngest--and everyone in between.
I think that what you all are doing is asking questions...learning...staying informed...not just taking information at face value and accepting it. You are becoming more literate--learning to discern the information you come across. You are reading deeply, critically thinking, and trying to comprehend your place in society as learners and as citizens. You are part of the process of becoming more visually, politically, media literate. And you are taking it upon yourselves to research, think, know, and understand more. And on top of that...you're sharing it with each other.
That is learning! Good work everyone!
--Dionne Custer
I know that it doesn't seem fair. I don't think our government is about being fair. I think that we try sometimes to make everyone think that its fair to everyone and that everyone has a fair and equal chance. But i can you honestly say that everyone in this country has the same chances as everyone else. There are many boundaries and one of them happens to be race and that is big deal going into this election. SO of course its not fair and i don't think it will ever be fair. I just wish it to be just.
I believe that loyalty was demonstrated very well in this movie. The reason why is because it seemed like everybody was attacking Mckinney, but she stayed loyal to her followers and didn't give up on what she was fighting for. She also didn't give up on herself. She stayed loyal to herself.
Dael(Brookhaven High School)
I think that one vote for one person is nothing because the goverment can pick and choose who get to and dosen't get to vote. So the goverment is the ones at the end who I think gets to choose the president
I think that the movie was trying to tell people that we have the power of change.
Shareefah(Brookhaven High School)I liked the movie it shows you how people can change the world in a different way how speaking up and fighting for whats right is a symbol of showing how your are a soldier,warrior with strength and might to be who you are proud to be. she reminds me Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. how he fought for what's right and not only put others life on the line but his to never gave up was a hero in many silent voices another brother whoes a different color and loves the other whoes a different race who can change the silent cold world to somewhat a better place how we all generations can change the world young and old in many things we do that it is better to have a voice make a choice do right live nice do fine and shine. Don't be a wasted talent be a success who can make in the world to fight with the heart and determination of a powerful animal like Cynthia Mckinney who changed like King Jr. with her life on the line and lived to change the world her way we all youth have a voice and can speak up to.
I think that rebelled only when she wanted to find out more about 9/11 and what really happened. She went against the government about it and thats how she rebelled. When she said that the government should dig a little deeper into 9/11 they didn't listen to her and took her words out of context when she was talking about it on the radio. When you rebell you don't always get what you want.
I agree with Dionne. I think that this year in the election people are more skeptical on how to vote. Some just don't vote becasue they keep being reminded of what happened in the last election and how evey vote wasn't accepted. Yes our vote counts and so does our opinions and if we don't voice our opinions to the president or the government then everything will be the same. There won't be no change
We must realize that action needs to be taken if we are going to change anything in this country. Unfortunately, whether we pick republican or democrat will have little affect on the actual problems the U.S. is currently facing. I believe that in the 2012 election, the independent candidate will (for the first time) have the possibility, and the opportunity to get elected. Let me go further in depth because I feel I need to better explain my perspective or someone will most definitely attempt to refute it. Right now Americans are generally more worried about their football games and hollywood celebrities than to actually pay attention to the injustices that our government is committing. There's been loads of cases where the government has blatantly disregarded the Constitution - and we just turn a blind eye to it because it doesn't seem to even affect us. Either that, or they threaten us and scare us of external dangers that don't even really exist. With the bailout, for example, they've been able to purchase your mortgage. We are quickly becoming a socialist nation. Yet owning your loan isn't enough for them. Now they are trying to purchase bank stocks as well. How far will this go? It seems only a matter of time until the government owns everything, and regulates everything as they wish. They already control the media (FCC much?). They'll just tell us lies like: if you don't let us buy out the banks, the economy will collapse, and you'll be BROKE! Oddly it is crashing anyways. Seemingly a repeat of the great depression. Or is it something more? Is it something much more sinister? Something the likes of which we could never foresee? I'll let you ponder on that...
I enjoyed this movie because I learned a lot about topics that I was not familiar with. I think that Cynthia Mckinney took a great deal of action by running for congress. I think that she thought she could change how things were being ran and help her community in making everything fair for everyone. I think she acted at the right time because she ran right after the 2000 elections which was a disaster in some parts of the country.
I think Cynthia Mckinney shows a lot of loyalty to this country because of the way she tries and protects the rights of citizens trying to vote. I like the fact that Cynthia Mckinney had a lot of loyal supporters as well because if it were not for them, she would not have been able to giveher opinions to congress and fight for rights for citizens.
I feel that a decisive action was made by Cynthia Mckinney when she placed her questions to Rumsfeld after she had been told not to. This was a well timed action because she had asked these questions beforehand, but this time, the answer would be in the public. This caused Rumsfeld to become uncomfortable, and reluctantly answered her questions.
One huge example of loyalty in the movie is that of Cynthia Mckinney to the USA. While she was labeled as "unamerican" what she was doing was one of the most patriotic things that an American can do, tell the government it is doing something wrong. That is the fundamental idea that formed this country, and even though she was mocked for it, it was teh most noble thing she could have done in her circumstances.
I hear the apathy and skepticism out in the community and I understand it's tough because of the history of the election process in this country. 2000 and 2004 showed us that our vote counts more than ever. I know it doesn't seem fair; but we must continue to inform ourselves and keep our voices out there for Washington D.C. to hear. They will make and enact policies that will affect everyone--from the eldest of our country to youngest--and everyone in between. ~ Dionne Custer
This is especially true now, with the economy falling in on itself. Even though most of can't vote, we need to make sure those around us who can do, and know what they're voting for, and tell them what we think and why we think it.
The movie actually made me mad, the fact that the government tried so hard to keep people out of the polls to win their vote.
I feel that the movie American Blackout raised some interesting points with the current election. Since voting for the 2008 election is about to begin we will be able to see if there will be another major event like this. If there is then it would prove that there needs to be lots of work done on how voting works in this country.
That movie made me upset that the government didn't do anything about 9/11.
I agree with what Bryn said about people seeing anything that criticizes the government being seen as unpatriotic. With people now they will see anyone who does not go with the main views of the government right now as dangerous even though we are supposed to be able to show all viewpoints in our government and actually have an intelligent conversation on the differing viewpoints.
Kai (walnut Ridge)I think the author of the movie American Blackout was trying to show us the importants of voting early. When you vote early you can vote for your candidate without problem but if you wait for the last minute to vote your vote might be use in the wrong way because some people would do anything 2 win including cheating.
In general I did enjoy the film, and felt that the director did a great job in creating such an emotionally provocative documentary. Though I did find it to be biased, due to the unfair characterization of republicans and felt that the movie didn't really provided much other than information.
I thought that this was an interesting documentary. The main part that caught my attention was when Cynthia Mckinney fought for our rights. Cynthia Mckinney struggled through alot, she's a very strong person, and she's still fighting for us til' this day. This movie taught me that one vote can really make a difference.
I thought the movie was very bias. I really didn't like how it was just stirring people up to vote democratic. I am independent, but I really feel the documentary was only made to get people angry. It was a very interesting documentary, but I can't say I liked it. I did enjoy hearing everyone's opinions though after the movie. It opened my eyes a little bit to see what other people thought rather than myself.
I thought that the film was very powerful and eye opening. It did a good job of showing how dirty politics can be even though the film was slanted. It also did a good job of showing me exactly what happened during the 2000 and 2004 elections, because I didn't know to that extent of detail what had really went on. Cynthia McKinney's struggle for her seat in office was also an interesting aspect. She asked the right questions after 9/11, and the medias power over how it sounded and how they made her look was incredible. Showing how the media can choose to make someone look good or bad depending on how they cover the story really opened my eyes, I didn't think it could be that effective in the public eye.
emily (metro high school) ;;
although the movie "America Blackout" was extremely long, I did enjoy it. I learned about several topic which I was not familiar with. It took a lot of courage for Cynthia Mckinney to do what she did, but running for congress.
I also really enjoy having Mimi comes in to speak with our classes. She is really interesting & always in a positive, she loves what's she does & that's the best part about it((:
emily (metro high school) ;;
although the movie "America Blackout" was extremely long, I did enjoy it. I learned about several topic which I was not familiar with. It took a lot of courage for Cynthia Mckinney to do what she did, by running for congress.
I also really enjoy having Mimi comes in to speak with our classes. She is really interesting & always in a positive mood, she loves what's she does & that's the best part about it((:
So, this movie really opened up some things to me. Recently we've been reading the Crucible by Arthur Miller and I feel like there are a lot of parallels between the two pieces. The Crucible explores some of the weaknesses of our justice system while American Blackout points out the weaknesses of our voting system. The theme I saw in both however is that Justice and our Voting process are always influenced by public opinion and public opinion is always influenced by those who have power. So, through public opinion, people with power own our government.
Yep.
So, with Mimi, we had to write three different versions of the same thing. The first was similar to a newscast: the facts. The second was a first-hand account. The third was a letter. This is my second:
Finny scowled, scanning every person who walked past. He swore under his breath. He'd been whining the whole time about people he knew who weren't in the same political party because of the signs in their front yards. "Is that legal, Fin?" I was confused, I had never heard of anything he claimed was happening. He sighed before replying. "Does it look like anyone's stopping them? Those people just walked out laughing. McKinney won't be in office."
- Lauren, Metro
The film was a well bodied look into the political abuse innocent and harmless American citizens face at the hands of a greedy political party. While some might say that this is not a true look at American culture, I would say to them that maybe it is not the world you want to see and maybe you want to hold it at an arms length. But we can no longer hold this blatant disrespect for the American citizen and their voice. Michael (Metro High)
In my country, we don't have the problem of the government controlling the voting. This is most likely due to the Direct Democracy we have used since our creation. I love my country and the way it is run, and i know no one who does not agree with our system. Do you think that the USA could instate a system of voting where the power of the government is checked by the people, similar to the system of checks and balances the three branches of governments have? Is population too great for any change?
I thought that the documentary was mostly correct, however, it seemed a bit skewed since it was primarily told through the Democrat's view. It would be interesting to see what Republicans would have to say about the events.
I think that it is fun to see how American politics are have changed - from clean politics to lots of mud-slinging and then to crossovers.
This was a very interesting movie. I was surprised by what people would do just to get their vote in, such as switching parties. When people use this kind of slanted stuff they destroy the trust democracy is built on.
although this movie was very well done, it was no wake up call to me. I mean, come on people, if you were paying attention it is just so obvious! movies like this shouldn't really even need to be done, even though they are a good compilation of facts.
I was saddend to see that most of the problems we face oday in our American society would have never have happened if the Bush Conspiracy never transpired. It would have been a very different world in which we live in if George Bushs' plan didn't work to gain office as prsident 8 years ago. I also saw how because of the Bush COnspiracy, other people were affected, like Cynthia McKinney running for office for the state of Georgia and how she is trying to prove to the American people that it was because of George Bush that we are going through these rough times.
I completely agreed with what the film was saying. It was agreeing with all my world views and shows how sewing things in such a way is wrong. I honestly have little else to say besides that. I can say that my immediate reaction to the film was the disgust i felt towards certain political parties and i felt a sense of injustice being caused by all this. Another thing that i would actually wish to talk about is the justifications of these actions made by people who coincide within the political party who caused this to happen. They tried to associate this with being pure coincidence and though I do not wish to sound slanderous towards one specific political party, I feel that this kind of statement was of the utmost ignorance. I am ashamed
Metro, Nathan
American Blackout was informative and depressing. Although I think the director used some slanted video clips to exaggerate his point, the voting rights problem in America is very serious, and we need to make more steps to correct past injustices. It was really sad to see how the masked state troopers in the south treated the marchers of the civil rights movement. Also, I can't believe that Florida didn't let certain people vote because their names sounded like criminals' names. Anyway, I thought American Blackout addressed a vital problem in American voting, and I really hope that African-Americans and people in the cities get the voting rights that they deserve.
Andrew B. (Metro)
This film was shocking and it makes you think about how dirty and manipulative the government was. it show the greedy tactics of the republican party. this movie was very nice.
The black out movie was interesting. Cynthia McKinney fought for what is right. Also I was shocked by how President Bush won the election. That he shouldn't be our president, and our economy probably would not be in as bad shape. The film was also kind of depressing. I was not surprised when I learned Bush had an idea about 9/11 and didn't do anything abut it.
I think that when Mim came to our class yesterday people weren't as attentive than the first time she came. we spent a lot of time on discussing words about American Blackout. I don't think that it was very effective to write words about. I did like the part we were we had to write poems. Thanks Mim!
The American Blackout movie was very interesting and informative. I am going to start paying much more attention to politics and candidates for the election so I know who I want to vote for in the next presidential election. It is very important to vote, because as i found out in the movie, the elections are very close!
I thought that American Blackout was a powerful documentary about corruption in our country's government. Specifically how people were denied the right to vote, especially African-Americans in Florida and the long votes lines in Ohio. I also thought it was pretty interesting how Cynthia McKinney help leading the fight to attack the government denying our freedoms and rights, which the government is slowly taking it a way but she is not allowing that and representing the people for the right cause. Another small thing that got my attention about American Blackout was the bias and how the media twists what people say. Overall it was a strong movie with a great message.
My Poem that Captures Today (Thanks Mim!)
I'm a stick person a little kid draws,
Who cares what it looks like,
it's pretty cute!
I'm a balloon in a restaurant
hoping someone will take me home,
and let me go.
I'm a deck of cards,
banned in some places
but fun nonetheless!
I'm an internet search engine
Infinite like Google,
knowing EVERYTHING
I'm a clock
I keep ticking
and everyone needs me
I'm the slow moving white cottonball cloud
on the bright blue sky
Chillin' like a villain with
a gold tooth fillin'
-Emily @ Metro School
Alex M. Says that he feels the movie is biased towards democrats, an attempt to rally people to vote for democratic candidates.
I myself am bordering on independent, but there is no denying that there was some nasty business going on in the 2000 election. Yes, we continue to pound into the same old thing over and over again, I understand it can be annoying, however, we do so because we want t make sure this country NEVER forgets what we let happen in 2000. In 2000, the very idea of democracy was nearly destroyed (some will argue that democracy no longer exists at all) and we must act to ensure such a travesty never again occurs in our country.
With McKinney: I'm not saying I agree with some of her ethics (there has been discussion of her character and some of the less noble things she has done around the web and in news) but I will not deny that she was in fact treated horribly in her election. There was foul play. If you want unbiased, try and find more evidence of democrats doing things like this. Oddly enough, most crimes seem to be committed by Republicans a majority of the time. That isn't to say that democrats haven't done some things that can be questioned, just that lately Republicans have made a horrible reputation for themselves.
in response to emily @metro school
the every day things you make magical in your poem make me laugh and wonder. great poem.
you could have used the word "cheeseburger" but otherwise, quite good.
I remember staying in line with my mom in the '04 election for FOUR hours. I was late to school so that was cool. I wish i was more politically active back then so i could do something or say anything that could prevent bush from getting elected. American Blackout really helped me recall and understand all of these events. It was a great movie.
i think the movie really told us a very lot about what happened in the election and it tells you how people can be very dislike of someones color.
Ethan(Walnut Ridge) I thought the movie was good if you are a liberal or democrat. From a republican or conservative view the movie disagrees with their views. So it was pretty biased.
The movie had an interesting perspective. It's awful that anyone was denied their right to vote. That being said, this movie seemed to tell viewers that the Republican Party was behind all of it, which I don't think is true or possible. The movie offered a lot of information but not on both sides of the issue. The movie made me think, but I don't think I can form any real opinions based on it because the information was so one sided.
The movie was to inform people because kids who can't vote, don't really get to know about this. We aren't told these things so I'm glad they made this movie because it was sort of a testimony of Cynthia Mckinney. It taught me to watch out for the government.
(TCS)
We did an expedition week that was about the election. I personally am not interested in politics and or anything like that so I didn't like this expedition. I stood in line for over four hours just to vote for my teacher. Its like higher powers are trying to make us not want to vote, not like our vote matters. They are just deceiving us, to make us think that our vote counts so that there are riots all over the United States. So yeah I was pretty much bored all week. My class was about the media's part of the elections and how it effects them. I learned that no one can be fully un-bias when it comes to anything. But a reporters hardest job is to be un-bias. I also just took pictures and pictures can effect a persons voting also. For example pictures of Sarah Palin hunting and posing with dead animals and things like that. That made me really not like her because I love animals and the last thing I want to think about is our Vice President killing animals just for sport and nothing more (I know she didn't win). So yeah thats pretty much all I did in a course of a week.
recently i have got done with a week long research project leading up to this election. I specifically was covering debates, both the ones between the candidates and one on issues at school. after looking for solid facts for our debates here i have to say that i give both of the candidates (Obama, and McCain)a standing ovation. however preparing for these debates was not the only problem they faced. candidates especially on the democratic side. we saw ballots being rejected and machines "broke" down. the corruption is always going to exist but as we saw from the outcome of this election that we can fight against it.
Last week at The Charles School we had an expedition week and we learned about the elections. We looked at the different candidates and their plans. I was surprised at the close race with McCain and Obama. Ohio went blue and the most surprising result for electoral votes was D.C. 93% Obama and 7% McCain! It was interesting to see the kind of effect the government has on people. Also the advertisements used to help the candidates, what tactics they used and also we looked at the comedy (SNL) and how they made fun of the candidates.
Recently My school (as a part of our experiential program) researched topics that related (in any way) to the 2008 election. Group focuses included: poling, environmental issues, the housing crisis, and other realted topics. My group in particular researched debatable topics that could have or were brought up during the election process. The students in our group were broken up into teams of two, two teams were given a subject such as same sex marriage, issue 6, the death penalty, and things along those lines.
soory I have to get off and I know I haven't touched on how this related to Pages or the movie black out, but I'm sure I'll have the chance.
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