Temple's Border Key Words:

Community Partnerships: Ideally these would allow neighborhoods members become a part of the Temple University community. Students and neighbors would share space and resources to make the area surrounding Temple University enjoyable for all people. Under these conditions Temple’s neighbors would be able to have a say in the actions of the University. Also a solid community partnership would allow many students from the segregated suburbs to shed their naïve fears and anxieties about people who live in communities that surround the University.

Militarized border: The major difference between the US/Mexico border and the Temple University border is that there is not a physical fence. However, the border is clearly demarcated by the large red Temple banners and like the US/Mexico border armed guards and “state of the art” technology (some of the same devices used by the military) is used to “prevent” certain people from entering its boundaries.

Discourse: My use of this word is to show the hegemonic power of words. Because Temple’s discourse is shaped around words like “prevention,” “security,” and “safety” one is to assume that there are indeed very dangerous elements beyond Temple’s borders and that the police are absolutely necessary. The failure of the university to mention the surrounding neighborhoods or the possible problems these neighborhoods face, leads the viewer to believe that these places are “naturally” “chaotic” and “unruly.”

Honor Students: I generalize honor students all honor students as being affluent white and from segregated suburbs. While of course there are always exceptions to the rule, I would estimate my assertion to be correct. The quote about SAT scores certainly proves my point. It is my assertions in this paper that one of the primary concerns for the university is the capital and status these students bring to the university. Instead of risking losing these kids to the bogus assumptions these students or their parents might have a the neighborhoods surrounding Temple, the university has constructed this militarized border. It is true some people maybe repelled by Temple if the school addressed petty economic crime through community building instead of its current border patrol policy. However, I feel that community building would create much more well rounded students.

Atlantic City Juxtaposition Key Words:

Decline Stage: Butler states, “The change (or even disappearance) of the original natural and cultural attractions which were responsible for the popularity of the area." Many things led to the decline stage in Atlantic City, as I indicate the rise of Disneyland; cheap air travel as well as “white flight.”

White flight: This had a two fold affect on Atlantic City. First, when Atlantic City became known as a “black place.” The first affect was when many white middle class tourists anxious over civil rights legislation, decided to change tourist destinations to the segregated environment of Disneyland with the help of cheap airfare. The second affect of white flight was the result of the race and class anxieties that were cultivated in racially segregated suburbs. These anxieties manifested themselves in the form of things like Demaris’ “Jungle” dialogue and fortress casinos. The existence of Fortress casinos continues to keep Atlantic City blighted.

Fortress Casino: Fortress casinos give people the impression that the areas surrounding the Atlantic City Boardwalk are to be feared. This fear is to the benefit of the casinos who benefit when people are afraid to walk beyond their doors. Casinos keep people from starting their own restaurant and shopping ventures in the city. Fortress casinos and the fear they instill in people allow casinos to keep most of the revenue millions of visitors bring to Atlantic City every year.

Panacea: As the Atlantic City case study proves, panaceas are to be avoided at all costs in Urban Redevelopment. Problems should be addressed by neighborhood members and supporting organizations only. When outsider capitalists come into your town and offer you a deal that seems too good to be true it most likely is. Casinos are now to powerful to be fought and will remain in Atlantic City until people decide they do not like gambling anymore.

Environmental Ethical Dilemma key terms:

Healthy Options: A wide variety of fresh lean meats, produce and whole grain products. Healthy options, does not mean just food. In many families people are taught to cook in most fattening ways possible, usually involving lots of gratuitous fats. Thus having healthy options should also include education and training on healthier ways to cook.

Virgin forests: These are first growth forests that have been untouched by human hands for centuries. Many believe that due to the “virgin” nature of these forests it is home to many plants and animals that do not exist anywhere else in the world. I agree with this assertion and find careless deforestation very problematic.

Deforestation: This is the large scale chopping down of trees. The effects of deforestation on “virgin” forests of South America are perhaps the most dangerous. Animals and plants could become extinct, the hydrological cycle could become severely off kilter and indigenous people could become displaced. In a lesser developed country governments tend to be a bit more corrupt and there is not as much accountability for environmental damage they promote. This is how Cargill was able to promote so much destruction without any consequences. Another environmental ethical dilemma is when situations like this arise should governments allow deforestation for economic development or should they protect the environment. Greenpeace believes that only a few people financially benefit from such projects and many perish.

Globalization: This modern phenomenon is clear in this essay. Because the multi-national corporation Cargill decided to capitalize on the vast amount of land in Brazil (“virgin forests”) to plant soybeans, speculators and farmers in Brazil began the “Soybean Gold rush.” Soon Brazil with the help of Cargill began to out produce the United States in the soybean market. This lowered the value of soybeans forcing the US government to pay soybean farmers subsidies. This 2 billion dollar subsidy takes large amounts away from public programs which could provide kids living in working class neighborhoods in the city with few healthy food options with healthy food. By under-funding teaching nutrition and providing healthy food, children continue to purchase cheap food at McDonald’s. In order to keep their food cheap for this US market, McDonald’s Europe must buy chicken from Cargill raised on Cargill soybean feed from South America.

Community Map Key Words

Passive Resistance: My use of passive resistance here has nothing to do with the social movements of people like Martin Luther King or Gandhi. Instead of non-violence, the “passive” here means not trying to change anything. Anthony and I resisted the normalizing institution of school by making fun of it or trying to act and talk differently than our peers. This resistance did not change a thing it was only a coping mechanizing to deal with the bleak aspects of “normalization” and homogeneity. We tried to resist mainstream high school culture without completely separating ourselves from it.

Anomie: I alter the meaning of Durkheim’s theory here considerably. I do not think that all people living in the modern age face this problem of confusion due to “normlessness.” I am in agreement with Foucault that most people “internalize” “normal” behaviors and this is how power structures remain in place. However, in my case I tried to “passively resist” high school’s “normalizing” qualities and the mainstream high school rituals of my peers (the prom, partying, hanging out in large groups) yet I still went to high school and absorbed some of its messages. Due to this, I am “suffering from social norms that are weak or often contradictory.” I am not sure how to act around others. Thanks to modern technology I am can cope with Anomie by still being able to keep my old community in tact.

Virtual Persona: My virtual persona on my MySpace page is a way for me to identify myself with my community. I use images, quotes and sounds in such a way that people who are members of my community will be able to recognize the page as mine right away.
Community: My personal community is a reflection of the state of communications technology in the 21st century. I can be alone in Philadelphia yet still feel strongly connected to my friends and family Rhode Island. This is a new kind of community, one in which physical geography is almost irrelevant. In the past many who were experiencing “Anomie” in new surroundings would be forced to go home or make serious attempts at making new friends or become depressed and lonely. Now my community is one phone call away from anywhere or we can all meet as a community on the internet. As technology continues to change I will be interested to see how human interactions are further affected.

Horse and Carriage Key Words:

Urban Environment: Here I am referring to every sensual element of Uptown and Midtown Manhattan. Crowded sidewalks with noisy people, heavy traffic flows and everything associated with traffic including horns; exhaust from idle cars; etc, extremely humid and hot summers, bitter cold winters. This environment forces horses to reject all their natural instincts.

Draft Horse: In this entry the rise and fall of the Draft horse is significant. In the mid-1980s when the numbers of draft horses around the country were at their lowest the country’s cities were also experiencing the advanced stages of deindustrialization. Now in the post-industrial city, which is dominated by the service and tourist sectors humans have creatively found a way to use draft horses as a means of wealth.

Disneyization: I agree with Alan Bryman, “The contemporary world is increasingly converging towards the characteristics of the Disney theme parks.” Disney seems to have set the standard for vacation experiences. I believe cities, in order to attract more tourists, are starting to embrace more “themed” attractions or “disneyize” existing attractions that should be able to speak on their own. Draft horses being reintroduced to the urban environment and historical sites is an attempt by cities and entrepreneurs to give guests a Disney-like experience in order to make them feel like they are on vacation.

American Tourist: I stereotype the American tourist here. I actually had members of my family in mind when I made the assertion that tourists expect elements Disney World whenever they go one vacation. There are class and cultural capital elements at work in one’s fascination Disney World. I realize that in many was my generalization is unfair. Nonetheless, I feel many people do expect elements of Disney World in order to feel like their on vacation.