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"The New York Times investigation put into the spotlight the particular problems facing immigrant workers in the salon industry that most people wouldn't even think existed. Immigrants (especially illegal ones) risk deportation and are subject to easier abuse due to limit English abilities. I think it's a step in the right direction for Governor Cuomo to immediately start an investigation and it should improve the lives of workers. The thing is this only occurred due to a media outbreak on this story - had the story not become so popular, few people would know about it, and nothing would be done. My hope is that an attempt to fix issues becomes the rule and not the exception in the future, and that we as Americans realize that others pay the price when we aim to pay less ourselves."
--( posted on May 12, 2015, commenting on the post Nail Salon Workers )
 
"I'm in concurrence with everyone else; these statistics paint a bleak outlook on the future, one heavily attached to economic issues. Though the article doesn't offer many solutions, it does emphasis the importance of these issues being bad enough to alert Americans that things are NOT okay - that people's illusion of the United States as the "best" nation in the world falls apart when prosperity is lower than it was forty years ago. This country has a history of capitalism with the American ideal of the self-made person who worked hard and got rewarded. This belief in capitalism makes even attempts at implementing socialist institutions a la Western Europe difficult, not to mention the US's sheer size compared to each one of those countries in land area, wealth, resources, and population. I'd also like to note one difference that might have occurred in the past forty years is the transition of the United States from a producer society to a consumer society. Many production jobs have been transplanted to other countries (where wages and standards of living are lower) and the US has more intellectually demanding jobs (service, tech, academic, etc. in nature). Hence the reason why a college degree is more necessary. I fear that considering the population, the global economy, and the society we live in, it might not be possible to sustain a growing population of >300 million with everyone living comfortably considering the jobs we strive for."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post American Exceptionalism (Continued) )
 
"As an Asian-American raised at home with an emphasis on education but raised at school with an emphasis on dreams, I can agree on trying to remove the stereotype of Asians all being successful and highly educated. As Daniel stated as well, this can lead to false assumptions for others when meeting Asian Americans, and more importantly can affect the self-esteem of those who might not have done so well. However, I can understand the reason why Asian Americans, or certain immigrant groups in general, emphasize education and success so much: financial stability. When immigrating and moving to a new world, it makes sense to desire for one's children to be financially stable. I therefore don't think Asian Americans should be encouraged to go into the arts, nor should they be discouraged. And I don't think Asian Americans should raise their kids with the mentality that high-status professions are the only path to economic stability. Instead I believe a practical approach to careers in the family should come first. Children should not be pidgeonholed into being doctors, but they shouldn't ignore their parents' economic and educational contributions either."
--( posted on Apr 28, 2015, commenting on the post Article from Tom Schactman: Please discuss! )
 
"I love food and whenever I think of different cultures, usually the first thing that comes to mind are their foods. Would we focus more on the history of that food in that person's family, or what the food means to the person now, living in America?"
--( posted on Mar 23, 2015, commenting on the post Final Project Ideas )
 
"What has been presented to us in class and through readings has been most anti-gentrification, so I think those of us (including me) who know nothing else might be skewed against gentrification. It would be nice to have some information in class about the pros of gentrification apart from the reduction in crime. I, as you might have guessed, believe gentrification has more negatives than positives. There really seem to be two main things (from my narrow perspective) that might justify gentrification. First is an improvement of the neighborhood's "stature" (probably the wrong word). When there's mostly wealthy residents in an area, crime tends to be low. A safer neighborhood promotes tourism and commence (e.g. Williamburg and Hell's Kitchen). Second, gentrification can be seen as a natural extension of a free-market, capitalistic society and so any action against it would be considered anti-capitalist. In contrast, gentrification can turn neighborhoods into ruins of their former selves. Gentrified neighborhoods seem to lose the "community feel" that once stood there. Neighbors don't ask each other for help or get involved with each other. An ethnic enclave might see its once lively neighborhood replaced by educated, wealthy young adults who might not bring a lively culture to replace that which they displaced. Most shockingly, long-time residents of a neighborhood might find themselves displaced in no fault of their own. In the same way people the world over have longed for their homeland after displacement, people in cities who may have spent their whole lives may suddenly be removed from the one place they could call home. In the Arts of New York City last semester, one thing Professor Dara Kiese discussed was the duty of residents to care about and get involved with the changes that affect their community, whether it be the whole city of New York or just a neighborhood. Community members who feel gentrification threatens their neighborhood should band together and find ways to oppose it in whatever ways they can if they feel strongly enough against it. The difficulty is actually solving the "problem"."
--( posted on Mar 9, 2015, commenting on the post A Discussion about Gentrification )