Description
Dubbed the new ‘civil rights movement’, #BlackLivesMatter launched a transformative grassroots movement that moved from social media to the streets across the U.S. As news and images of the senseless deaths of Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, Michael Brown, and others spread in the media, a new generation of civil rights activist came together demanding institutional change. From scheduled marches, to assembled ‘die-ins’ and to heated rallies across the country, protestors and communities pushed the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter into a worldwide rally cry for justice. This is the real story of brave young people who have found their voice to lead a powerful social movement. Now these activists face the daunting challenge of turning protest into lasting change.
Instructions:
After watching the film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyl_plFyEwwLinks to an external site.) in 3 pages minimum (please do not exceed 6 pages), answer the following questions in an essay format using APA formatting/citation style.You must include at least 3 outside resources (websites) and some specific examples/moments from the film to highlight your answers and support your arguments.I DO NOT want you to summarize the film! The main purpose of this assignment is for you to apply theoretical concepts/ideologies and sociological concepts in critically analyzing the film’s content using your sociological imagination and personal insight. Your paper will be graded on the following:
Proper formatting and grammar/sentence structure (cover page, 12 point font, Times New Roman, and 1 inch margins, reference page, double spacing should all be used).
The proper application of theoretical/sociological concepts, ideas and themes along with specific examples/moments from the film to highlight arguments.
Answering all the questions in an insightful/analytical manner properly applying the sociological imagination.
QUESTIONS: Please do not feel obligated to answer the questions in the order given.
What are some of the parallels (in tactics, motivations, experiences, etc.) between the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s/60s and the current BLM movement? Are these comparisons legitimate or exaggerated? Explain.
In your opinion, does violent civil disobedience have more impact/power than nonviolent civil disobedience (or vice versa) as means to an end? Why, why not?
How might violent acts of civil disobedience contribute to the debate of moral ethics of black ‘rage’ and perpetuating unfounded stereotypes?
Do you think that raising awareness through social media translates into making a change in the world? Could it? What are some issues you see with this method (i.e. hashtag activism)?
Describe the legacy of slavery and dehumanization within the context of the BLM movement.
According to the film and your research, what are some of the demands (purposes) that BLM activists have made? How have these been misconstrued (misinterpreted) by larger media outlets, that is, what is the role of the media industry in influencing national conversations about race and racism?
What broader policy changes might address the systemic problems highlighted by the BLM movement? What other reforms do you think might be necessary other than just policing reforms/accountability?
I ALSO ATTACHED A FILE OF A SAMPLE OUTLINE THAT WAS PROVIDED BELOW
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Sociological Insight 1:Living on A Dollar
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Sociological Insight 1:Living on A Dollar
Sociology 001: Intro To Sociology
October 28, 2023
In the documentary, “Living on One Dollar”, I was opened to the truth behind poverty.
There is a misconception in today’s society that living in poverty means you can’t get your
favorite pair of shoes, video games, etc. All things that we as a society want, but those who live
Sociological Insight 1:Living on A Dollar
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in real poverty often struggle to provide necessities such as food, clothes, medicine, etc. They
struggle on a day-to-day basis with things that we often take for granted. This film helped me to
keep a more open mind when it came to my daily life and to do more research in looking into
poverty.
The struggle through poverty
In the film, Living on One Dollar, youre able to notice many issues that the people of
Pena Blanca struggle with daily, the first struggle I was able to notice was the lack of clean water
they have. According to the CDC, this can be a prominent issue as drinking contaminated water
can lead to sicknesses such as diarrhea and vomiting. Still, it can also lead to diseases such as
norovirus, giardiasis, cholera, and many more (CDC, 2022). This struggle isn’t as prominent in
the United States or my community as we have filtering systems in almost all our sources of
water that are accessible to the public unlike those from Pena Blanca. Two other issues that I
have noticed in Pena Blanca are the lack of food and nutrition as well as the issue of dealing with
bugs and different types of issues in their sleeping environment. In the film, they were able to get
inside the lives of families and kids and see just how much they struggle with these two issues.
One father stated that the kids had very little to no eating in their schedule so often they had no
energy and would lay there. It also showed the friend’s struggle with fleas due to their
environment and sleeping situation, shortly after one of the friends went up to a little boy who
had the same problem except he seemed to be more used to the situation as it is considered a
“norm”. In transient-loaded places like Los Angeles, we are able to see this similar issue stand
out as most of the transients we see on the streets face many struggles of having enough if any
food to eat and having safe places to sleep. If I were to look at this film from a conflict theorist
perspective, I would understand that in this society, the people from Pena Blanca, struggle due to
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their poverty which in theory leads them to limited resources. They constantly fight a battle
every day to provide for each other and themselves, not being guaranteed anything they’re
working for (OpenStax, 2021).
My perspective on the issue of poverty
What surprised me the most about the people living in poverty in Guatemala was the lack
of education they achieved due to living in poverty. Most of the time a lot of kids had to give up
school in order to provide for their families and they set their limits to being farmers. They gave
up on actual dreams they had such as one boy giving up his dream as a soccer player and a lady
giving up pursuing studying to become a nurse in order to work in the fields to be able to provide
for her family. Even though they go through these struggles, they still walk around with a smile
on their faces and continue every day to be their best selves. This changed my perspective on
those who live in poverty because a lot of the time I would just throw around the word poverty
not knowing the situation of others. The film made me understand and sympathize with those
living in poverty as they sacrifice a lot in their lives to receive very little in return. This changed
my perspective on my consumption and daily life as I realized that I complain of being hungry
while eating three meals a day at the minimum. I noticed that I throw money around for wants
that I don’t use very often when people in poverty don’t even have money for needs. This made
me appreciate things like my education, my housing, my monetary value, and many other things
that I wouldn’t have appreciated or considered before.
Does social media help to make a change?
Do you think that raising awareness through media or social media translates into making
a change in the world? Could it? What are some issues you see with this method? I believe that
social media can do more good than harm in situations like these. For example, doing simple
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things like just making a story post about the poverty situation and tackling big issues they face
daily on your social media can make the people who follow us sympathize and help out in these
situations. The worst that can happen from that situation is people choosing to scroll past the post
and not pay any attention to it. On the other hand, those who choose to make a change can
simply look deeper into the subject and try their best to help and make a difference. I don’t
necessarily think because you bring awareness, that means youre making a change in the world,
you have to do a little more than that. You have to be able to bring awareness, in your own time
provide towards awareness and also do it with the intention of making the world a better place
and not just for an ego or morale boost. I believe that what it takes to really make a
What impact can I make towards less poverty?
What I see as the biggest obstacle in ending poverty in this generation is the lack of
understanding of what real poverty is. A lot of people believe they know or live in poverty.
These same people are the ones who go out and buy candy, eat half of it, then throw it away.
Those who live in poverty can’t make those types of exceptions and it’s little things that we
aren’t aware of that could make a difference. A solution I can think about is setting up a
GoFundMe for different countries who live in poverty. To do this, “You start your GoFundMe by
telling your story and setting a goal. You will then receive a fundraising page to accept donations
and share your fundraiser. (GoFundMe, 2022). I believe this can have a long-term impact as
people can not only read the backstories of how their lives are affected by poverty but they can
donate as much money of their liking anonymously and it continues until however much money
you want to raise. Technology is supreme in the modern day and this is the best method for now
and the future to make a difference. I don’t have a place in addressing the issue as I didnt realize
how much poverty affects people’s lives until watching this film. I don’t have enough experience
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or knowledge of those living in poverty to be able to understand but I can definitely learn and
make an impact by teaching others and giving them information to open their minds to it.
Reference Page:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Avoid contaminated water during travel.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/water-disinfection#:~:text=Drinking%20contaminate
d%2C%20or%20unclean%2C%20water,can%20also%20lead%20to%20illness.
Common fundraising questions. GoFundMe. (2022, July 8).
https://www.gofundme.com/c/questions#:~:text=You%20start%20your%20GoFundMe%
20by,not%20you%20reach%20your%20goal.
Conerly, T. R., Holmes, K., & Tamang, A. L. (n.d.-b). Introduction to Sociology 3E. OpenStax.
https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/1-introduction
YouTube. (2019, November 15). Living on one dollar. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBjoQi1p21Q
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