1. This American Life: Nummi — Ok, this is a long, long episode of This American Life, but it's well worth the listen. Not only does this story touch on the state of the economy today, but it's local. The Nummi plant was located in Freemont, and closed only a few weeks back. Give a listen. What do you think of the story telling? Did this change your opinion of GM? American workers? Unions?
2. Hate: This is a piece from Newsweek that addresses the increase in militia like movements in the country. What do you think of the use of historical information in this piece? How about the statistics? Is the main issue with the rise in hatred and militia-like forces a product of a dwindling white majority? Or are we Americans generally more hateful these days? What are you thoughts?
3. The Economy of the NFL Draft: One of life's biggest events happened recently, and if you didn't watch it you must be crazy. The NFL draft is a fascinating process of player selection, all in an attempt to bring up the losers and temper the winners. But according to this piece, that's not happening with the current draft format. What do you think of the tone of this piece? It's serious, but there's something slightly ridiculous when it comes to tinkering with a process that is now broadcast 24/7 and more popular than any other sport's selection process.
12 comments:
Hate:
I don't think the "militia" to uphold the constitution that Thomas and Conant wrote about in the beginning of the piece are too much to worry about, but I definitely agree with some of the later ideas in the article about politics today. With the Tea Party movement and Fox News vs. late night tv shows, it seems that politics are getting more intense and radical, and political choices are more of an identity-and a polarizing one-now than ever before. But what shocks me most of all is the personal level that these debates are being brought to. No longer are just issues being attacked, but the people who advocate those issues are receiving serious death threats and in some cases need to fear for the lives of their families or themselves. In a time when almost all information can be found on the internet (including, as the article mentioned, the home addresses of senators and step-by-step guides to bomb making), these fears are legitimate. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I don't think that the increase in militia-like forces is a product of a dwindling white majority, nor do I think that Americans are just generally more hateful now than in years past. I think the difference is that today, this kind of hate is more socially acceptable. When TV and radio personalities treat the radical movements of today as pure and heroic, it is easy for people to jump the bandwagon-what they perceive as the majority because of constant media coverage-and validate the hate that underlies them. Additionally, the group mentality that exists in the Tea Party and other movements can cause individuals to behave in hateful ways that probably wouldn't even cross their minds if they stood alone. The media portrays these people as victims of an unjust system that they are fighting to make right rather than aggressors and, in so portraying them, validates them.
Ilana S.
This American Life: NUMMI:
I love This American Life because most of their stories are so interesting, especially because of the way that they are told. The storytelling in this episode was especially great because of the multitude and variety of sources expressed. I enjoyed listening to all sides of the rise and fall of the NUMMI plant, whether experiences from original NUMMI workers; their American and Japanese counterparts in Japan; or the management who was having to deal with their illegal activity and intentional tampering of cars at the plant. I was also enlightened in regards to the American car industry, GM specifically, as well as labor unions. In my opinion, it is simultaneously scary and pathetic that the top 10 producers of cars are foreign. In addition, the lack of productivity in the car industry of America highlights our flaws, as well as our nation’s hubris. I think that the worker’s union of NUUMI prevented the plant from productivity and success, which is obviously a very bad and unnecessary side affect. The function of a union should be to promote fairness and righteousness. The worker’s union of NUMMI, however, made it almost impossible to fire someone, even if they were smoking, drinking, or tampering with products while on the job. Even though Toyota was offering to help GM with their dysfunctional plant, GM was almost too proud to accept or permit positive change. Once they allowed the change, however, drastic improvement soon followed. This shows that we don’t always know best. I really liked how the story was told from one end, where the workers were too proud to change, to the other, where the workers took pride in their work.
Alec
Hate
I believe the people are rising up and getting angry about something that is unconscious and they will not admit to themselves. People are getting angrier and recently, someone flew a plane into an IRS building to protest high taxes. People scream at rallies that have been toned down recently to...let's just say to hide the true intentions of most tea party members. I'm not saying all tea party members are violent, I am saying almost all of the violent people are tea partiers or at least sympathetic to the tea party. I have not heard any death threats from Democrats lately. But why are people so angry? Why do they try to paint Obama as a radical? It started during the 2008campaign when they called him a Muslim. They said he did not wear a flag pin. A woman gave these reasons as to say she supported McCain. When someone proved those lies wrong, she said, "Allright, I'm not voting for Obama because he is Black." This also plays into calling Obama "uppity" and "arrogant" because these words suggest Obama does not "know his place." Why do people believe the claims that Obama is a Socialist and Communist? Obama's tax rates are the lowest in 40 years. Why did a poll show that 38% of Republicans believe Obama's policies resemble Hitler's? Why did another poll show 24% of the tea partiers believe the country should take up arms? Why do people believe these untrue rumors? My opinion is that they are looking for a reason to hate Obama because of those racial reservations. Someone I know had reservations about Obama's race and kept looking for a reason to vote for McCain. I also saw a poll where most teabaggers had negative opinions of African Americans.
Also as Lauren said, the extremists appear ignorant of the other side. This is why they ignore Obama's real tax plans which DO cut taxes for 95% of Americans. Also, there is the lie that healthcare reform is reparations for slavery. It appears that whoever crafted the argument forgot Nazis are not fans of African Americans.
Okay, I may be ranting and going off topic but I just want to make a clear point: many of the people who have these militas tell themselves these lies about Obama's taxes that the milita people start to believe them and protest Obama's Government.
I also hope these people will be open to the Democratic party or as they call it, the Democrat party.
Alec
Nummi
I think it is bad for Fremont and a bad sign for GM when Nummi closed. All the news I hear is about the economy improving as well as consumer confidence. During March, 162,000 more jobs were added than lost. The gallup polls also show an uptick in jobs so I expect a good unemployment and jobs report at the beginning of May. Yet GM made Fremont have one of the last casualties of the car business. This could be the end of GM's trouble or show that while Americans are buying more from retail stores like Target, they may be saving extra money for that new shiny car.
Also, I have been following the press around the closing. The State Senator from Fremont and the workers in Nummi held large protests to keep open the Fremont plant. It is a large source of jobs in the community and seeing how the unemployment rate is about 10% in Fremont, Nummi closing is a big blow to jobs in the area. It is almost reminiscent of the big factory closings in the 1980's due to companies shipping jobs overseas. When people heard about all the factory closings in the late 70s and 80s and even the recent bankruptcies at GM, they probably did not consider it much. Now with a closing affecting a whole community, people will really see the affect of shutting factory doors.
One last thought: Nummi closing is like the end of All Quiet in the Western Front. The newspaper said nothing much happened on the day the narrator died. It looks like GM might be saying goodbye to its worst days but for people in Fremont, they probably disagree.
Marshall
Hate:
I am in direct accordance with the author of the article in that as politics have become heated, so have radical movements. It would be unfair to classify all "militia" as malignant, such as the first group mentioned in the article. In human development, our most recent unit has been on abortion, and the debate on whether it is murdering children. The politics of the situation has created radical views on both sides of the debate. People are violently protesting against these procedures by vandalizing the hospitals and protesting in obscene ways outside. To summarize, the US has taken on extremely controversial topics in the past decades and although the government may have passed a historical bill, they have not been able to do so without creating a radical or violent opposition.
NFL Draft:
In my opinion, I believe that the Draft is an exciting, well advertised, and beneficial component of the NFL. The author is correct that there is no possible way to confirm the success of any NFL prospect, Bay Area football fans no from the uselessness of Raiders 1st pick Jamarcus Russel, however this is where strategy and some luck come into play. The controversial topic of the draft is what these rookies who have not proven themselves should be paid. A perfect example again is Jamarcus Russel, who received a record breaking contract to sit on the bench and lead the Raiders absolutely nowhere. I believe that the draft is part as it is now, is part of a teams development and in no way should be determined by a computer, however the procedure does need reform in the pay it gives to their top prospects.
Hate:
Yes, as the author mentioned violence and the presence of extremists are at a high-point right now, but this is often the case in a time of war or with a newly elected president. However I disagree with what Alec mentioned about Republicans being the predominantly violent ones and Democrats not playing any role. I can remember many radical democrats taking a stand throughout Bush’s presidency and I am almost certain that more than a few death-threats were made. It is true at this moment though that republicans are the ones being targeted for acts of violence and anti-government sentiment, which is understandable for it to be this way with a democratic president in office. I think at MA, being a predominantly democratic community, we are sheltered from a lot of the political insanity that takes place in many other areas of the country and for the most part we only see one side. It also seems that only a small percent of the student body practices an organized religion and as a result of that a majority of students at MA most likely are unaware or the religious issues/ violence that occurs in the U.S. It might be interesting to take a poll of both students and teachers and see where they stand on the political and religious spectrum, seeing as this directly correlates to our knowledge towards political violence in America (and religious violence as well).
NFL DRAFT:
I really enjoyed this article because it was full of interesting detail, and supporting facts to really help the reader understand the problem at hand. A second thing I thought was really successful about this article was the fact that the reader did not have to understand football, or drafts, or sports to understand the article. It is a really universal piece.
On to football, I don't understand why the NFL draft is any more important then any other draft. Even the NBA draft should be regarded as more important since rookies have such a bigger impact on the teams they get drafted by. It is really funny to see that this drive for championships and the constant increase of prices in the cost of players has forced some teams to not even be able to afford the players they want.
I also find it funny that the players don't want a draft change because they are money driven, but really if there was a change, there would be better chances to win a championship.
The Economy of the NFL Draft:
First and foremost and incredibly interesting and engaging opic. You gotta love when something so anticipated and revered is looked at through a new lens.
Here is and always has been my stance: Sure there are differences between the college and pro game that may cause a hitch in a talented players performance, but a good player is a good player. I dont think that there are enough inconsistencies to cause a heisman winner to become nonexistent in the pros. So, you ask, the what does cause the much too often drop off in talent. Greed. Selfishness. Loss of passion. The big business corporation that is professional sports introduces players to a teammate that they hadn't ever played with: money. Money becomes a huge factor on the field/court/pitch. Dominant college players feel entitled to a certain amount of money and once they receive it in the NFL or any other league, they begin to lose their passion for the game. Do you think that when Alex Smith or Jemarcus Russell was younger, they tossed the pigskin around with friends and said, "When I grow up Im going to go to the NFL and holdout for a bigger contract." Money truly is the root of all evil and in this case it transforms potentially great players into zombies with nothing but dollar signs painted on their eyeballs.
Also a response to Jacob:
I think that the reason the NFL draft is bigger, other than the fact that everything in the NFL is bigger (the season games, the championship, the players) is mainly because a superstar is much much more rare than it is in the NBA. In the NFL a rookie with numbers similiar to pro bowlers is like a needle in a haystack while an NBA rookie with stellar stats is more like a hair in the cafeteria food. One is very rare while the other is not commonplace but does happen pretty often.
Jamie M.
Hate
Frankly, I found this article to be scary. The fact that the increase in militia groups has been so drastic is worrisome. 149 groups to 512 groups is a huge change in one year, a change so big that it cannot possibly be attributed to one variable. The economic downturn, Obama's Presidency, global warming, health care, a poor border protection system-- all of these stressful and contentious issues factor into the count. What is truly worrisome, is that these groups no longer quarrel over petty topics, they have become pugnacious and with this newfound inclination for violence, they have recieved more recognition in the media, which is the true kindling for their fire.
NFL Draft
I'm not an authority on football or the NFL, so I won't act like it. That being said, I find the draft process to be thrilling and enthralling. By having a 50-50 shot with first round picks it throws an element of surprise into the mix that I like- it spices it up. In terms of pure practicality and parity, sure the Harvard proposal might work better; is that really what we want? Perfectly balanced teams few big upsets would be boring. I like the occasional sleeper whose a steal contractually and the bust who makes 45 million+ and can't produce- it ads in a little unpredictable, and I like that.
late late late late late--I know. I at least need to comment now though.
NFL Draft:
First of all, I think it is important to note that the NFL exists for one reason and one reason only: to make money. So, why would they change a format for drafting that rakes them in millions in TV money? Fiscally, it does not make sense for the league to change something that has worked so well for them. That being said, I agree that the NFL draft has become much less helpful to teams with high picks, mainly because--as the article states--they are forced to pay a ton of money for an unproved player.
As a fan, I would definitely like to see the draft overhauled. I am tired of seeing high first round picks wield power in negotiations that they should not have. The idea stated at the end of the article (where each team receives seven picks and a certain amount of money to spend on their players) definitely sounded appealing, because it would allow for different strategies when drafting players. Also, I even think that this format would make the league even more money than the current draft already does. With the format stated above, all fans--and not just those of teams with high picks--would be involved in their teams draft. Definitely, as has been seen, a successful league involves its fans.
Hate:
This article became more disturbing and frightening as it went on. (Which, I'd like to point out, was a nice way of writing the piece). At first, the"militia" groups that were talked about, like The Oath Keepers, seemed relatively harmless--just a group that wanted to protect the constitution but was severely out of touch with how to do it. However, later in the piece, some of the groups became downright scary. The idea that our public officials are not only receiving death threats but are having their addresses posted on the internet for enemies to find is not a welcome one. Also, while the article seems to laugh off some groups' incompetence, I find that this incompetence makes them even more dangerous--they might hurt the wrong people until they reach their target.
In terms of why the amount of militia groups are increasing in the U.S., I think that it has a lot to do with the political polarization of the country over the last ten years. We see examples of this every day as the going-ons in Congress are divided strictly by party lines (case in point, the Health Care debate). Perhaps the way to reduce the risk of military attacks is to become a bipartisan and functional government again.
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