Construct a Nautical Themed Park or Improve Life for the Lower Class: Decisions, Decisions

            Following Dr. Macek's advice, I am going to attempt the seemingly unthinkable: I am going to make a blogpost that is only 400-something words. The questions posed in this blog prompt appear to be asking us whether or not we feel Chicago's "global city" efforts are worth it or not. While I have visited most of the examples offered in the prompt (Millennium Park, Navy Pier, etc.), I do believe they exist mostly for tourists, and even if it were found that Chicago natives were just as prone to visiting these sites, one needs to consider whether our money is best spent on generating profit when so many other problems plague the city.

            I am one of those strange people that believes we should make Chicago a wonderful place to be in for those who have to live here every day rather than some tourist from Helsinki, Tokyo, or Glasgow. To be sure, I recognize the importance of tourism, and I welcome anyone who wishes to visit our fine city, but given the myriad of problems and flaws that are intertwined with the Chicago experience for many of those actually living in it, I believe it would be wise to allocate funding elsewhere.

            Millennium Park is a spot in the city that I admit to be fairly interesting, yet I really question whether it was actually worth the millions upon millions of dollars that were spent in the process of its creation. I understand that I am being naive in my saying this, but couldn't the city have invested that money into an initiative that would improve Chicago's public schools or at least something that would be advantageous for Chicagoans? I know the world - or this city, rather - does not work that way, but it is so frustrating to read about the conditions of the city's public schools, with the knowledge that our city spent millions of dollars on a nautical-themed park (yes, I know that is a gross oversimplification, but still) instead.

            It probably seems as though I am picking on Millennium Park, but that is only because it is one of the more recent spots that we, as a class, have visited. The reality is, there are many other tourist spots that utilize Chicago funding in an equally wasteful way. With that said, we cannot shut down our tourist economy completely as we are, in many ways, dependent upon it. I just believe something needs to be said of the other problems that Chicago faces. Instead of going on a tangent that triples the length of this post, I will end this blog with this very blunt statement: yes, we need to foster our tourism economy, but we need to find a balance in which those who live here are also receiving an optimal living experience.

ABDDBCDBBADDCB: Too Much Standardized Testing in Chicago Public Schools (Among Other Problems)

            Education is one of the many hot-button issues that we, as Americans, find ourselves confronting, and like many political and social issues that pertain to our institutions, those who cannot afford the privatized version of service and care are often left aching the most. The way education is designed in America is similar to the way that healthcare is, in that it is perfectly fine for those who are members of the upper class, and to a lesser extent, members of the upper-middle class, but mostly inadequate for everybody else.

            The wealthy and upper-middle class can afford private educations for their children, just as they can afford regular visits to medical professionals for screenings or treatment if medical issues were to befall them or their children. While the purpose of this blog posting is not central to all of the inequities of capitalism, I draw a comparison to our healthcare system in order to highlight that education is far from being the only facet of American life in which we are not living up to our self-proclaimed title of "Greatest Country Ever!"

            While fantastic public schools do exist, I would wager that the majority of them exist in areas which are of a higher socioeconomic status, and such schools may also be financially augmented further by way of donations made by the wealthy parents who send their kids to such schools. This was a point that I remember Kozol making in his book Shame of the Nation, and this was something that hit particularly close to him with me as well, as I went to a wealthy high school in Glen Ellyn.

            Ultimately, our public education system offers quality learning experiences to wealthier students due to the taxation of such areas combined with further donations, while students in lower socioeconomic status areas such as the inner city have poor schools to begin with, and usually without parents who can financially afford to double their roles as parents of students as well as benefactors to the schools themselves.

            Unfortunately, the plight of the lower class in relation to public schooling extends beyond the aforementioned. For example, Koval points out that several Chicago public schools focus the majority of their "curriculum" on prepping students for standardized tests, rather than, you know, actually teaching them. Encouraging rote memorization of verbatim answers to questions and the likely and unlikely answer bubble selections is hardly an educational experience I would want my hypothetical children being subjected to. I believe that these standardized tests are incredibly damaging to public schooling, especially for those in Chicago public schools.

            As mentioned in class discussions, members of the SOA club partook in a screening of Waiting for Superman, a documentary which offers solutions to the numerous problems which plague American public schooling, with all of these solutions being anti-union. While I was not able to find a torrent to download The Teacher Salary Project, I do plan on watching it eventually as it would be interesting to witness a documentary that counters the solutions offered in Waiting for Superman.

            However, we, as a class were lucky enough to have a visitor from the teacher's union come speak to us, who offered his insights as someone who is involved with the union. I was interested in his anecdote pertaining to working class parents and their support of the teachers, which supports what I have read in many sociology texts. It was also disheartening to hear him reinforce what we had read in Koval pertaining to the amount of time (more than a third of Chicago public schooldays) being spent on prepping for tests.

            In relation to Waiting for Superman, he also provided some insights regarding one of the more compelling points that I thought the documentary made (at the time anyways). This point was found in the experimental proposition made to teachers regarding their dropping of tenure in favor of taking a higher pay increase or keeping tenure and receiving a marginal salary boost. The documentary implied that the teachers unanimously rejected the offer, and when I saw this portion of the film, I interpreted these actions as suspicious.

            My logic was that if a teacher is effective, then he or she has nothing to worry about, and that the only reason for them not to accept the offer is if they plan on coasting through their post-tenure career. Thankfully our visitor was kind enough to explain the reasoning that informed the decision of these educators. Apparently, our public education system is more crooked than I once believed! If teachers were to waive their union rights, then it is possible that they could be laid off for reasons that have nothing to do with their ability as an educator, such as disagreements with the principal or even if they were to pursue a masters or doctorate degree, which would result in having to pay these teachers more. We know this is true because teachers are fired for similar reasons before they even receive tenure.

            I am unsure what exactly needs to be done to ameliorate our public education system, but I now believe that the unions need to remain in place, while also heightening the standards and pay required to be a teacher. While some may complain about teachers being paid more, I think it can be agreed upon that we can either pay more now for school teacher salaries or pay even more later for the various social issues that will occur due to high drop-out rates and the reception of an inadequate education for students in the city. I also believe it can be agreed upon that time and resources should be spent appeasing the intellectual curiosities of children rather than teaching them "BACDDAB, etc."

Race May Be Constructed, But It Feels All Too Real in Chicagoland

            Racism is a topic of discussion that often evokes uncomfortable feelings among those involved. This hot-button subject can make white people uncomfortable due to a number of reasons including, but not limited to "white guilt" or a belief that racism "does not exist anymore," or even that its prevalence and/or effects are "exaggerated." Similarly, people of color may feel uncomfortable discussing the subject for a variety of reasons as well. The fact of the matter is, race needs to be a topic of discourse, for if it is not, then covert racism will continue to thrive and perpetuate a pattern of inequality that still affects people of color.

            In my last two posts, I discussed Latinos and immigration, and how xenophobia and discrimination have manifested themselves into our society in a covert fashion, opposed to the overt ways of the past. Much of this discrimination is just as much, if not more, applicable to African-Americans, individuals who are primarily descendents of individuals who were enslaved and taken to the United States against their will, hundreds of years ago. The length of time that people of African descent have occupied the United States is relevant to this discussion as it showcases just how much past-in-present discrimination has prevented African-Americans from reaching a level of achievement equal to white immigrant groups who have not been in the country for nearly as long of a duration. Ultimately, the white dominant group in the United States has coerced the majority of African-Americans in a state of socioeconomic arrested development.

            Inequality towards people of color, while significant on a national level, is fairly prevalent on a local level in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. In fact, it has occurred on several levels as evidenced by issues with housing including white flight; racial profiling by law enforcement; education; politics and legislation; and employment opportunities. If these predicaments weren't terrible enough as it were, the plight that people of color are confronted with becomes seemingly more insurmountable when one considers that many of these problems are intertwined with one another.

            The stereotyping of minority groups such as African-Americans is in many ways the source of many of the aforementioned problems. It is because of the perception that blacks possess criminal tendencies (as well as other negative traits that may fit the stereotype of the African-American) that often prevents blacks from being able to move into a neighborhood without whiteflight occurring. Whiteflight in itself is terrible as it creates a sinkhole in value for the area almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. By this I mean, blacks moving in is not the problem, but rather, the whites moving out is, as when they leave, they take their money and resources with them, which in turn also lowers the value of a given area. Of course, whiteflight is only a potential problem if African-Americans are able to move into a predominantly white area - what Koval (2007) calls a "white bubble" - in the first place.

            The difficulty that African-Americans experience in the career/job-seeking process is a huge challenge in itself as well. After all, Koval (2007) argues that even blacks in the suburbs of Chicago have not avoided stigmatization based upon data retrieved from a study conducted called Racial Preference and Suburban Employment Opportunities. The findings, which were later revealed to be an understatement, found that white applicants, when compared to equally matched black applicants were twice as likely to receive the job. This is significant due to the fact that one needs a decent income to live in a "nice area" with quality schools for their children, and if this is not achieved, then future generations of African-Americans and other minority groups appears to be bleak.

            Essentially, I believe past-in-present discrimination and stigmatizing of minority groups such as African-Americans is what causes the persistence of a racial divide in 21st century Chicago. I hate to be cynical, but I am not sure much can be done to alleviate this divide any time soon. A modification of early education may be beneficial in creating awareness of racism and all of the other "isms" that shroud our perceptions. Even then, there is no guarantee that the average child is going to grasp such concepts adequately, or even care. At the very least, we need to acknowledge that this problem exists, though.

            There are too many ways in which the racial divide has occurred to be fully addressed in a blogpost of this size (even when doubling the intended length), and I don't mean to depress anyone with my cynicism pertaining to possible remedies to the situation at hand, but it is very challenging for me to have faith that the opinions of the dominant group will be able to change. Race may be a social construct, but I believe it feels all too real for most people, and that accounts for both sides.

Chicago: A City of Immigrants

        Any individual that has ever taken a walk down a major street of Chicago and taken notice of the various restaurants and shops of unique ethnic origin has likely come to the realization that Chicago is a city of immigrants. The same can also be said for an individual, much like myself, who has experienced the unfortunate occurrence of receiving a speeding ticket in the city, and noticed that the payment instructions are offered in not only English, but Spanish and Polish as well.

            To be sure, the idea of Chicago being a city of immigrants is not exactly a new concept, as immigration is a longstanding staple of Chicago's identity. The experience itself is in many ways the same, but it has also changed in a variety of ways. Immigrants still come to Chicago from their respective countries in order to seek out economic opportunities and to be with family, but the jobs available to today's Chicago immigrants as well as the demographical breakdown of these immigrants are different than in the past.

            Indeed, Immigrants and economics in Chicago intersect in a vastly different fashion than before. While Chicago used to be an industrial powerhouse, with a plethora of factories available to workers, this is not as much the case today, as Chicago, like most modern American cities, has a workforce more concentrated in the service industry today. While the implications of this are further reaching than just our immigrants, it should be noted that many jobs in the service industry not only require the ability to speak the English language fluently, but also pay significantly less than factory jobs did.

            In effect, today's immigrants who lack an education as well as the ability to speak English fluently have decreased chances of succeeding in achieving upward mobility for themselves and their children. And much of these predicaments seemingly zero in on today's Mexican immigrants (who are also the largest immigrant group entering into Chicago, as well as the country) as Polish immigrants today are much more likely to be educated and possess professional occupation experience, which is a sharp contrast to Polish immigrants of the past, and many other white European immigrant groups of the past as well. Ultimately, many of the avenues that provided the success for the predominantly white immigrants of the past are either gone, significantly reduced, or altered.

            While today's immigrants face the discrimination that immigrants of the past faced, the discrimination and prejudice is more covert than overt (e.g. "Irish Need Not Apply" signs of the past). Koval and company speak of the resistance from white Chicagoans towards blacks and Latinos moving into once white neighborhoods, and Zorbaugh references the resentment towards "the dark people" (Sicilians/Italians) that came to occupy what became for a period "Little Hell/Italy." After reading this, I cannot help but feel that public opinion has not changed much from mainstream Chicagoans. Despite less overt discrimination, institutional prejudice is a severe road block in the modern immigrants path to success, especially for Mexicans who do not physically blend in with mainstream Americans as white immigrants can and did.

            Koval mentions that the ethnic enclave and the ethnic-based division of labor is dwindling, but this does not make immigrants any less powerful agents of change. In fact, prior to this blog prompt, I created an entire post about the effects ethnic succession can have upon a community on a cultural level (see: Ethnicity and Aesthetics in Urban Regions). Regardless of the struggles that immigrants face and will continue to face, they are an asset to Chicagoans for providing work and culture, even if some are threatened by the latter.

Ethnicity and Aesthetics in Urban Regions

            Throughout the duration of this course, I would have to say that the National Museum of Mexican Art has been my favorite of the fieldtrips. From age thirteen to seventeen, I assumed that my future career would deal with the arts in at least some capacity, but obviously, that did not pan out. One may assume that it is my appreciation for the arts that helped inform my opinion of our visit to the museum, but really I think my positive experience has just as much, if not more, to do with the fact that sociology has dominated my academic interests over the past few years.

            I am infinitely fascinated how Pilsen, an area that was once host to a number of European ethnic groups such as Bohemians for example, could transform into a location with a population nearly 90% Latin/Hispanic. My interest, however, does not lie in how this transformation took place, but rather the effect of this metamorphosis. It seems that whenever an area has a strong ethnic majority, much is done by its population to display the values of their respective culture. The Latin influence really creates an atmosphere and gives a sense of identity to the area.

            The march to the National Museum of Mexican Art provided a chance for the class to observe the area, which proved to be rewarding as soon as this trek began; along a large massive concrete wall near the train station, there is a gigantic mural with numerous historical figures significant to Latin Americans. If the rain weren't pouring on us and if the wind wasn't gusting at us, it would have been enjoyable to spend more time looking at this piece of work.

            The walking tour following the visit to the museum provided us additional views of the influence the strong Latin presence has on the area. I can recall seeing Our Lady of Guadalupe numerous times during our visit to Pilsen, most notably outside of the Pink Line, which provoked a discussion of not only the significance of her to the primarily Latino community, but also the issue of whether its being on such a building violates the separation of church and state. Similar to the mural mentioned above, we witnessed several buildings with artwork of famous Latinos (I am not sure if they were paintings or tile designs) such as on schools and hospitals, and I was absolutely blown away by the wonderful detail they possessed as well as the their vibrant colors.

            The fact that the National Museum of Mexican Art is in Pilsen says much about its significance as a large Latino community in just Chicago, but one also to be recognized nationally and perhaps even internationally. It was wonderful to view all of the paintings and sculptures that give insight into the values of these artists as they not only represent facets of Mexican culture, but also speak much of the plight Mexicans are confronted with in both the United States and Mexico.

            The former is exemplified by a lawnmower that a Mexican-American artist modified into a mechanical work of art as it combined the hydraulics of a low rider vehicle (popularized by Latino culture in the southwest) with a vehicular lawnmower, thus creating a comedic homage to two aspects he found important in the identity of Latino culture. The fact that this was addressed calls to mind what Koval and company had to say about ethnic division of labor.

            An example of an artist providing social commentary of issues such as globalization and vacationing in Mexico is found in a painting which depicts the Mayan prophecy of the year 2012. Several gods are shown wreaking havoc upon tourists in Mexico due to the claim that American tourism results in the destruction of several Mayan sites of historical importance.

            There was more I wished to discuss, such as my perception of closeness between those in the population as well as the effects of enclaves in general, but this post is already a bit longer than I had originally planned it to be. I will end this post by expressing that as much as I enjoyed witnessing how much Pilsen's population has influenced its aesthetics, it would have been more profound had I seen pictures of it prior to the boom of the Mexican population in the middle of the 20th century.

Bonus!

In a scenario right out of Metal Gear Solid, I stealthily snapped this photo when the security guards turned their backs. While this wasn't my favorite piece, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The Hull House

Visiting the Hull House was a very surreal experience for me as it was a location I had heard much about, but never imagined actually seeing for myself, and now that I have finally seen it I can say that I was very pleased with the experience. Upon our arrival, we were treated with a tour around the famous historical landmark which included a look at several key items from the various eras of the Hull House. I feel that discussions of the Hull House are usually synonymous with Jane Addams (or social work), and it was nice to see that our visit to the Hull House and its respective tour showcased the contributions made by her partners and successors, effectively dealing them their rightful position in the pantheon of this monumental settlement house.

            I believe the fact that there were others who wished to bear the torch after Addams is proof that the concept of this brand of highly inclusive philanthropy for immigrants and the poor was not something unique to Addams and her cohorts. And while it is obvious that there are people who want to help the less fortunate, as exemplified by social workers and numerous charities, I have mixed feelings as to whether settlement houses like the Hull House would be effective in modern America, or even just Chicago.

            The Chicago of today is still very much a city of immigrants, and also a city with a plethora of people of lower socioeconomic status, and it is because of this that the need for something like settlement houses is definitely still present in my eyes, as the provision of education, health, and other forms of human and social capital are invaluable in our society. I am aware of social workers and I do not doubt that many of them are people who genuinely desire to improve the greater health of a given area, but settlement houses just seem so much more effective in their inclusiveness.

            The reason why I question whether or not settlement houses would be effective today lies in my belief that there would need to be numerous wealthy eccentric types backing such an ambitious effort. Ultimately, I believe there is a need for settlement houses today as well as people who want to help; the issue is whether there are enough individuals who are willing to help, as well as wealthy enough to command such efforts as there is no chance of settlement houses as inclusive as the Hull House being a reality if such an endeavor would be contingent upon whether or not it would receive government funding; the United States, especially the political right, is in a state of paranoia regarding what they perceive to be socialist policies.

            Those concerned with their community can either focus all of their hope on social workers and programs like Head Start, but really the actions of wealthy individuals with an interest in bettering their communities stepping up to the plate would likely be more effective. Regardless, I believe some sort of change needs to occur for the better of not just Chicago, but all American cities, especially as our population grows exponentially and we need our new citizens and members of the underclass to be equipped with the necessary abilities and resources to better their living situation.