1, Final Draft: Rhetorical Analysis
2, Research Paper, Part II (Draft only for peer review)
3,Comment on 2 classmate's blogs (if you haven't yet done so)
Note: (DO NOT COME TO CLASS March 20 unless YOU HAVE THE WORK COMPLETED. Class will not meet Thursday, March 15! Use this time to do research)
4, Read and comment on the NY Times article below (on this blog)
http://nytimes.com/marketing/winatrip/?mkt=tsmmphoto
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/opinion/11kristof.html?n=Top%2fOpinion%2fEditorials%20and%20Op%2dEd%2fOp%2dEd%2fColumnists%2fNicholas%20D%20Kristof
March 11, 2007
Op-Ed Columnist
Win a Trip, and See a Different World
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Cast your eyes above and meet Hidaya Abatemam, whom I met last month in a remote area of southern Ethiopia. She is 6 years old and weighs 17 pounds.
Hidaya was starved nearly to death and may well have suffered permanent mental impairment, helping to trap her — and her own children, if she lives that long — in another generation of poverty.
Yet maybe the more interesting question is not why Hidaya is starving but why the world continues to allow 30,000 children like her to die each day of poverty.
Ultimately what is killing girls like her isn’t precisely malnutrition or malaria, but indifference. And that, in turn, arises from our insularity, our inexperience in traveling and living in poor countries, so that we have difficulty empathizing with people like Hidaya.
I often hear comments from readers like: “It’s tragic over there, but we’ve got our own problems that we have to solve first.” Nobody who has held the hand of a starving African child could be that dismissive.
That lack of firsthand experience abroad also helps explain why we are so awful at foreign policy: we just don’t “get” how our actions will be perceived abroad, so time and again — in Vietnam, China, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Latin America — we end up clumsily empowering our enemies.
Part of the problem is that American universities do an execrable job preparing students for global citizenship. A majority of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day, but the vast majority of American students graduate without ever gaining any insight into how that global majority lives.
According to a Roper/National Geographic poll, 38 percent%
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
The opportunity Nicholas D. Kristof is offering is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. If I were more into journalism I would be thrilled to go! Being able to see the issues we read about and hear about all over the news up front and personal would be rewarding not only in experience but also in being able not just read about the suffering and issues but feel their culture and soak in the reality of Africa.
I feel very frustrating reading comments on the suffering that occurs in underdeveloped countries who are much less fortunate than us. My family has sponsored two world vision children, the first passed away due to lack of proper health care. This makes me wonder where my family's money went in sponsoring this child in hopes of giving her a better, and healthier life. I wish that more people would invest time and money (if they have any to spare) to less privilaged people in other countries. Angelina Joele and Brad Pitt are great examples and role models on this cause. I would love to one day have the opportunity to travel, and contribute to a poor nation.
-Amanda Brown
I thought that this article was very right in the things it said about college students. MAny of us have little if any global perspective on the world and I'm sure that is part of the reasons that many Americans don't really care what is going on in Africa. To hear about these people and what they have to suffer through is absolutly horrible. And the fact that most people survive of around 2$ a day is also unacceptable. I think this contest is a really great idea and everyone could benefit from seeing what is going on over there so we all can be inclined to do something about it. -Avery Boddie
I think Mr. Kristof's trip is a good idea for students to learn more about what is happening over in Africa. We can sit at home and read about what's happening in Africa, but I think that the only way for us to really comprehend the impact of this issue is if we see it for ourselves. Seeing is believing for most people, and it would definitley open people's eyes and hopefully they would care more about this matter.
Kristof makes a great point. We really do not seem to care about this huge problem that has been an issue for a long time now. If I ever had the chance to go to a third world country, I would go. It would be an eye-opening experience.
Kristof views on how some Americans think is true. Some people seem to not care about the world but, only themselves. It frustrates me that actresses and performers get paid millions just to be seen or do a movie, but in all reality they can not spend 14.5 million dollars it just sits in the banks...but we could easily be using money like that for a better cause. I think that is the most frustrating thing to me. But, this trip would be an eye-opening expierence and help someone take a look on the inside of how these people really live.
i believe alot of people know what is going on in africa and in other poor countries but them not seeing it face to face isnt letting them relize how bad it truely is.
This article is true in the way Americans percieve global problems. Americans do acknowledge the problems in Africa, but they do not take action. This is because exactly what the article said,"It’s tragic over there, but we’ve got our own problems that we have to solve first." This is exactly how American people handle things when they hear about other countries problems. Also it is true that American Universities do not teach global citizenship, and really American universities only focus the US problems and how to solve those.
I think it's sad how the children as well as adults are being starved in all these countries and nothing is being done about it. The worst part about the situation is that no one really knows what is going on because they don't take the time to find out what is going on in our country. This world would be a far better place if we had people who actually cared about things that happen in places other than America.
It's sad how there are things like starving people going on and us as a country haven't done much about it. Nobody ever really wants to talk about the issues world wide, most people are only living for themselves, if it doesn't concern them then most likely they aren't going to be worried about it, and that's a problem. People are too self obsorbed, only worrying about their own issues when there are much bigger issues that need to be handled!
Well I think that Nicholas Kristof is presenting a very good point here. The offer of the trip is also very interesting because many of us including myself have never seen these things first hand. I will say that I believe all those TV ads about helping the poor give a very good image of the horrible things these people go through. But I don't believe in those programs because to me they are all frauds!!I think that in order for us to fix this problem we must all come together and go there for ourselves(because the money will probably never get there) with the money or with whatever we can do to help out. I really liked this article but unfortunately I don't think many people in America will ever go there first hand and with that being said I don't think the problems will ever be fixed. This article in its self still opens my eyes and maybe one day I will go there and invest time and money-which is what everyone should do. Instead of everyone thinking about themselves, I believe we should reach beyond our country and help others.
The kids starving in africa is a big deal. Alot of the Americans today don't really care about these kids. They are just left to starve or die from deseases. I think that the contest is a very good idea so that someone who is into jounalism will be able to see what it is like over there and it will make an interesting article to write.
Michelle McDaniel
Post a Comment