Reflective Letter
My first time in the English 115 Honors class held
twice a week with Professor Bieber I knew this would be a challenging course. I
have always dreaded English because I never enjoyed writing. At first Professor
Bieber seemed intimidating and like she expected way too much from the class,
but now I see she’s actually a very caring Professor who wants the best for her
students and wants them to succeed in every way possible. As for all the work,
practice makes perfect.
My portfolio has told me I have learned to find
credible articles and summarize them more effectively. Professor Bieber first
started out giving us articles to summarize and later allowed us to find our
own credible articles. As well as take us to the library and have a session
with the librarian as to how to find credible articles through the CSUN oviatt
library online. Professor Bieber gave feedback on all our work and I truly
appreciated it, and if you didn’t understand anything you could visit her in
her office hours or make an appointment to go over the assignment. With her
feedback I found it easier to revise since I have developed a more academic
tone. Professor Bieber always showed the class that writing is in every
profession.
I might apply what I have learned to my work in other
courses by using proper punctuation, appropriate wording, and by revising my
work. What I need to work on next in my writing is how to form better topic
sentences and transition sentences as they continue to throw me off. As well as
putting less of my own experience and finding credible sources that relate to
my own experience so I can have a credible explanation.
Although my topic sentences still need work I see
some improvement. For example, in my first essay “What An Education Means To
Me” my topic sentence is, “A good college education should allow students to be more
marketable in today’s economy,” and in my latest essay “The
Effects of High Poverty in Downtown Los Angeles” one of my topic sentences are, “Lack of nutritious food is not the only
reason why those living in high poverty areas, such as DTLA, aren’t physically
healthy, residents of these neighborhoods also the lack areas to play and
exercise due to safety concerns.” You can see I went from a simple topic
sentence to a topic sentence with more detail and facts.
Overall, Professor Bieber’s course
challenges you to grow as a writer. Instead of making you focus on a more
specific writing style, she allows you to have your own style of writing and leads
you towards a more academic tone. The semester has gone by quickly, but I have
learned writing techniques that I will use throughout my life.
Works Cited
Saghezi, Ohr. “What An Education Means To Me.” Essay.
Saghezi, Ohr. “The
Effects of High Poverty in Downtown Los Angeles.” Essay.
“Inequality, Race, and Remedy” Summary (
In
the article “Inequality, Race, and Remedy” Alan Jenkins, the
executive director of The
Opportunity Agenda, a communications, research, and
advocacy organization with the mission of building the national will to expand
opportunity in America, states that
“our nation believes that all of us are created equal in terms of rights,
dignity, and the potential to achieve great things, yet we still see inequality
based on race, gender, and other social characteristics as not only unfortunate
but unjust.” Jenkins asserts we can’t solve the problem unless we connect
poverty and race. Jenkins points out that whites have it better because “the
poverty rate among African Americans and Latinos taken together was still 2.6
times greater than that for white Americans.” Jenkins reports that blacks and Latinos
are more likely to be poor and live in high-poverty neighborhoods, which limits
“resources and options” such as, access to better
schools, and healthcare.
Jenkins, Alan. "Inequality,
Race, and Remedy." The American Prospect. The American Prospect, 22 Apr. 2007. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
The Effects of High Poverty in Downtown
Los Angeles (
Can you imagine struggling to find
food and shelter every day while trying to get an education? These are just
some of the issues that poor children living in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA)
deal with on a daily basis. With nearly half of the population there living in
poverty, many children grapple with trying to support their families while
attending school and assuming semi-normal lives. Due to their disposition, many
if not all of these children are at an educational disadvantage because their
educations or abilities to receive good education are hampered. Most of
education takes place in the home, and if you do not have active parental
figures encouraging and facilitating a learning environment at home, then it
becomes problematic. In addition to this issue, poor children living in DTLA
also experience health and dietary issues, have limited areas in which to
physically exercise, have limited access to supplementary materials, experience
chronic stress from their living situations, and lack quiet space in which to
do school work.
Downtown is a neighborhood in the
city of Los Angeles in the
Central L.A. region of Los
Angeles County. It contains Bunker Hill, Civic Center, fashion district,
industrial district, jewelry district, Little Tokyo, Old Bank District and skid
row” (Downtown). According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000 the population
was 27,849 people across 5.84 square miles (Downtown). In 2008, the median household income was
$15,003, which is “low for the city of Los Angeles and low for the county (Downtown). Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) has a poverty
rate of 45.7%, with more than 5,935 people living in poverty. ("Poverty
Status In The Past 12 Months").
Additionally, there is an estimate of 140 children under the age of 18 living
in poverty in DTLA ("Poverty Status In The Past 12
Months"). These are staggeringly
high rates, and make it clear that this is a socioeconomic disaster that severely
limits families and their potential to help themselves.
Children and teens living in poverty in DTLA are at an academic
disadvantage because of their increased risk for a wide range of physical
health problems. This is due to the “inability of L.A.’s low-income residents to purchase
fresh food” (Murray). In the article "Finding Nutrition in the Food
Deserts of California" by Bobby Murray, a
reporter on health care issues, argues that DTLA is a food desert due to the
number of fast food restaurants and lack of access to healthy, affordable food.
In Murray’s article he states that many of those living in poverty in DTLA are at
greater risk for developing obesity and type two diabetes because poor families
have limited access to healthy foods. As stated in Murrays article “the U.S.
Department of Agriculture-funded study shows that fatty and sugar-packed
foods are much cheaper than lean
meats, fish, fruits and vegetables.” Students that go to school hungry can be
easily distracted. In fact “eating a healthy breakfast has been shown to
improve both alertness and mood” (Clarke). Failure
to consume the appropriate nutrients places students at greater risk of missing
class and being able to participate fully (Clarke). Poor eating habits and
hunger directly affect school performance, insomuch as they prevent students
from remaining engaged in class discussions, as well as their level of mental
coherency.
Children living in neighborhoods such as DTLA also the lack
areas to play and exercise, due to the neighborhood crime and street violence,
such as gang-related activities, that are prevalent in poor areas. Their
parents, who are usually working overtime in order to pay the bills each month,
more often than not do not have time to constantly supervise their children,
and because of the local violence, are afraid to let their children play in
parks unsupervised, because it can be dangerous. In The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore the other Wes Moore states,
The basketball court is a strange patch of neutral ground, a
meeting place for every element of a neighborhood’s cohort of young men. You’d
find the drug dealers there, mostly playing the sidelines, betting major money
on pickup games and amateur tournaments but occasionally stepping onto the
court…But even they couldn’t resist getting a little run in-and God help you if
you played them too hard, or stepped on their brand-new Nike Air Force Ones (Moore
44).
This shows many
things happen at the park like drug deals, parents do not want their children
in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result, children who are unable to
receive adequate outdoor exercise tend to be rowdy and unruly in the classroom,
which prevents learning and serves as a distraction.
Moreover, the schools in extremely low-income neighborhoods
are often underfunded, which creates an academic achievement gap, by
restricting students’ access to supplementary materials. According to the
American Psychological Association (APA) schools in poorer communities that
have more low income families struggle to meet the learning needs to fulfill
the students full academic achievement ("Effects
of Poverty"). In the article “Still Separate, Still Unequal”
by Jonathan Kozol, he describes letters he received from third graders in the
Bronx stating they don’t have gardens, areas to play, arts programs, librarians,
or nurses. Poverty has a particularly adverse affect on the academic outcomes
of children, as it limits their ability to experience a wholesome or up-to-date
education, without access to the latest materials and technologies.
Chronic stress is a product of living in poverty,
and has been shown to adversely affect children’s concentration and memory,
which impairs their ability to learn ("Effects
of Poverty”). The National Center for Education reports that in 2008, the
dropout rate of students living in low-income families was about “four and
one-half times greater than the rate of children from higher-income families”
(“The Effects of Poverty”). In DTLA approximately 1,354 people in poverty have
not completed high school (Poverty Status In The Last
12 Months). Under-resourced schools in communities, such as DTLA,
struggle to meet the learning needs of their students and fail to aid them in
fulfilling their potential ("Effects of Poverty"). Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty by making it more
difficult for low-income children to change their futures ("Effects of Poverty"). These statistics
elucidate the shift in priorities of kids from poor families, as they are under
incredible amounts of stress, and as a result do not perform as well in school.
Children from these families are dealing with daily stresses that are typically
associated with low-income families, such as working overtime to help their
parents with the bills, struggling to put food on the table or find their next
meal, and caring for their siblings. Their stresses from familial obligations
cause students to lose sight of their academic commitments.
Many poor families in DTLA are homeless, and
this affects students, making it more difficult for them to fulfill their academic
potential. There are 140 homeless children in DTLA (Poverty Status In The Last 12 Months). Homelessness
also impacts children academically because they don’t have a quiet permanent
location to do school work in a safe environment. In addition, they are most
likely not getting enough sleep and food to pay attention to class lectures. Homeless
children have different priorities, such as finding food and shelter, and these
needs supersede their motivation for or desire to do homework. Their immediate
needs override any school obligations.
In the article "Los Angeles Puts $100 Million Into Helping
Homeless" by Jennifer Medina, a New
York Times national correspondent, explains that Mayor
Eric Garcetti and City Council of Los Angeles propose to spend $100 million
dollars in the next
year on housing and other services to help the homeless. For example, Taylor
SJ, a homeless college student said “there
was no Internet in homeless shelters; I didn't have the luxury of studying
whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted, and failing was not an option. I worked
hard during the days, because at night, neither quiet time nor Internet access
were guaranteed” (SJ). This shows that homeless students do not have an
area to do their homework, or study in a quiet and safe environment. Hopefully,
the $100 million dollars will go towards a learning environment specifically
for homeless students.
The effects of living in a high poverty
location, like DTLA, makes it hard for people, especially youth under the age
of eighteen, to lead healthy lifestyles, excel in school, and move up out of
poverty. With the minimum wage increasing from nine dollars to ten, the
government is taking small steps to help ease some of the financial pressures
these families experience. In general, however, it is important to understand
that children from families in DTLA are at academic disadvantages because of
their lack of access to healthy foods, exercise, school materials, and
stress-free environments. As Americans, we should remain vigilant in trying to
solve some of these downtown city issues, where the socioeconomic situation of
many families is preventing children from getting good educations. Receiving a
good education is the key to attaining a solid job that will afford them to
move out of their poor neighborhoods, however, without education, none of this
is possible.
Works
Cited
Clarke,
Nancy. "How Does Eating Healthy Affect Your Grades?" LIVESTRONG.COM.
LIVESTRONG.COM, 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Downtown. Map. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Times.
N.d. Los Angeles Times. Web. 4 Dec. 2015.
"Effects
of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth." American
Psychological Association. 2015 American Psychological Association. Web. 12
Nov. 2015.
Kozol,
Jonathan. "Still Separate, Still Unequal: America's Educational
Apartheid.(REPORT)." Harper's
Magazine 1 Sept. 2005. Print.
Medina,
Jennifer. "Los Angeles Puts $100 Million Into Helping Homeless." New
York Times. The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Moore,
Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two
Fates. New York: Spiegel and Grau Trade Paperbacks, 2011. Print.
Murray,
Bobbi. "Finding Nutrition in the Food Deserts of California." Pacific
Standard. The Miller-McCune Center for Research, Media and Public Policy, 2
Mar. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Poverty
Status In The Past 12 Months." American FactFinder. U.S. Census
Bureau. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
SJ,
Taylor. "This Is What It's Like to Be Homeless in College | VICE | United
States." VICE. Vice Media LLC, 23 July 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
The Effects of High Poverty in Downtown
Los Angeles (Draft Two)
Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is an
unfortunate city with a poverty rate of 45.7% ("Poverty Status
In The Past 12 Months"). A
population of 5,935 people is the determinant of the poverty status, with more
than half of being male. Those who are fortunate enough to not live in high
poverty locations also have the advantage of a convenient access to food,
water, shelter, and schooling. Living in a high poverty locations, such as DTLA,
often lack access to academic achievement because there is a shortage of healthy
foods and areas to play, as well as subpar schools, and homelessness.
Children and teens living in poorer communities
are at increased risk for a wide range of physical health problems. Bobbi Murray, reporter on health care
issues for Los Angeles, L.A. Weekly, and the Nation, wrote an article published on
Pacific Standard about the “inability
of L.A.’s low-income residents to purchase fresh food.” Murray wants his
audience to know that there are more fast food restaurants in low-income
communities, compared to high-income communities. Murray states that those who
are obese and overweight, eat fast food, and have a low income, tend to lose
workdays for health related issues, which in turn causes them to bring in a
lower income. Getting the nutrients you
need from food can keep you from missing class (Clarke). If students are not
eating at all and are going to school hungry their hunger can distract them and
make them irritable, while “eating a healthy breakfast has been shown to
improve both alertness and mood” (Clarke). Lack of nutrient healthy foods are not the only reasons as to
why those living in high poverty areas aren’t physically healthy, the lack of
areas to play can be unsafe. “The basketball court is a strange patch of
neutral ground, a meeting place for every element of a neighborhood’s cohort of
young men. You’d find the drug dealers there, mostly playing the sidelines,
betting major money on pickup games and amateur tournaments but occasionally
stepping onto the court…But even they couldn’t resist getting a little run
in-and God help you if you played them too hard, or stepped on their brand-new
Nike Air Force Ones.” (Moore, 44).
The effects of living in a high
poverty location, such as DTLA, are inadequate academic achievement because
living in poverty can affect a student’s ability to learn. Poverty has a particularly adverse effect on the academic
outcomes of children. Chronic stress associated with living in poverty has
been shown to adversely affect children’s concentration and memory, which may
impact their ability to learn ("Effects
of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth"). In
the National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2008, the dropout
rate of students living in low-income families was about four and one-half
times greater than the rate of children from higher-income (“The Effects of
Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth”). In DTLA an approximate
of 1,354 people in poverty have an education level of less than a high school
graduate, and an approximate of 796 people are high school graduates (Poverty
Status In The Last 12 Months). The academic achievement gap for poorer youth is
particularly pronounced for low-income African American and Hispanic children
compared with their more affluent White peers (“The Effects of Poverty, Hunger
and Homelessness on Children and Youth”). Under-resourced schools in
communities, such as DTLA, struggle to meet the learning needs of their students
and aid them in fulfilling their potential ("Effects
of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth"). Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty
by making it more difficult for low-income children to change their futures ("Effects of Poverty, Hunger and
Homelessness on Children and Youth"). In The Other Wes Moore, Mrs.
Downs, "author" Wes's homeroom teacher allowed Wes to believe Wes
wasn’t needed in the classroom, "One day she flatly told me that it didn't
matter to her if I showed up because the class ran smoothly when I wasn't
there. From that moment, I understood Mrs. Downs and I had an unspoken
agreement, a 'don't ask, don't tell' pact that worked like a charm for both of
us" (Moore, 77).
Some students cannot reach their full academic
potential because they are homeless. The effects of living in a high poverty
location, such as DTLA, are homelessness because the price for shelter is
costly. Adam Nagourney, an American journalist covering U.S.
politics for The New York Times, wrote an article on how the unemployment rate
has dropped, but the homeless rate has sky rocketed. Nagourney wants his
audience to be aware that the many people living on the streets are homeless
because they can’t afford a place to sleep with their income. Nagourney states
“some business leaders and
neighborhood groups dispute the idea that gentrification and rising housing
costs are the main causes of the increase in the homeless population.” Jennifer Medina, a New York
Times national correspondent, wrote an article on
how the Mayor and City Council of Los Angeles propose to spend $100 million
dollars in the next
year on housing and other services. Medina wants her audience to be aware that
rising housing costs in urban areas, and an uneven economic recovery have
helped fuel a rise in homelessness. Medina citing Megan Hustings, the interim
director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, states “this is the
fallout of not having anywhere near the affordable housing that’s needed.”
Some might say increasing the length of stays in shelters doesn’t give other
street people a chance of shelter, and that more rent subsidies might not just
go towards rent, possibly drugs. Many people would say the assumption that
“this is the fallout of not having anywhere near the affordable housing that’s
needed” strikes them as problematic, because if houses were affordable the
number of people off the streets would change drastically (Medina). In today’s
society the price for shelter is costly, leaving many students in the streets.
This leaves homeless students without an area to do their homework or study in
a healthy and safe environment. Taylor SJ, a homeless college student said “there was no Internet in homeless
shelters; I didn't have the luxury of studying whenever I wanted, wherever I
wanted, and failing was not an option. I worked hard during the days, because
at night, neither quiet time nor Internet access were guaranteed” (SJ).
The effects of living in a high poverty
location, like DTLA, make it hard to be healthy, attain a good education, and stay
away from homelessness. With the minimum wage increasing from nine dollars to ten
we are hopeful it will provide a chance for those living in poverty to attain a
better way of living. What would you want to do if it wholeheartedly affected
you?
Works
Cited
Clarke,
Nancy. "How Does Eating Healthy Affect Your Grades?" LIVESTRONG.COM.
LIVESTRONG.COM, 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
"Effects
of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth." American
Psychological Association. 2015 American Psychological Association. Web. 12
Nov. 2015.
Medina,
Jennifer. "Los Angeles Puts $100 Million Into Helping Homeless." New
York Times. The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Moore,
Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two
Fates. New York: Spiegel and Grau Trade Paperbacks, 2011. Print.
Murray,
Bobbi. "Finding Nutrition in the Food Deserts of California." Pacific
Standard. The Miller-McCune Center for Research, Media and Public Policy, 2
Mar. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Nagourney,
Adam. "Los Angeles Confronts a Spike in Homelessness Amid
Prosperity." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 June 2015.
Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"Poverty
Status In The Past 12 Months." American FactFinder. U.S. Census
Bureau. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
SJ,
Taylor. "This Is What It's Like to Be Homeless in College | VICE | United
States." VICE. Vice Media LLC, 23 July 2015. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
The Effects of High Poverty in Downtown
Los Angeles (First Draft)
In Downtown Los Angeles the poverty rate
is 45.7% ("POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS"). The population for whom poverty status
is determined is 5,935 people, over half of them are male. The effects of
living in a high poverty location such as DTLA are physical health problems
because of the lack of access to healthy foods and areas to play, inadequate
academic achievement because living in poverty can affect a students ability to
learn, and homelessness because the price for shelter is costly.
The effects of living in a high poverty
location such as DTLA are physical health problems because of the lack of
access to healthy foods and areas to play. Children and teens living in poorer communities
are at increased risk for a wide range of physical health problems. Poverty and
economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience
chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting
behaviors ("Effects of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on
Children and Youth"). These are
all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children. Bobbi Murray, reporter on health care
issues for Los Angeles, L.A. Weekly, and the Nation, wrote an article published on
Pacific Standard about the “inability
of L.A.’s low-income residents to purchase fresh food.” Murray wants his
audience to know that there are more fast food restaurants in low-income
communities, compared to high-income communities. Murray states that those who
are obese and overweight, eat fast food, and have a low income, tend to lose
workdays for health related issues, which causes them to bring in an even
lesser income.
The effects of living in a high
poverty location such as DTLA are inadequate academic achievement because
living in poverty can affect a student’s ability to learn. Poverty has a particularly adverse effect on the academic
outcomes of children. Chronic stress associated with living in poverty has
been shown to adversely affect children’s concentration and memory, which may
impact their ability to learn ("Effects
of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth"). In
“The Effects of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth” the
National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2008, the dropout rate
of students living in low-income families was about four and one-half times
greater than the rate of children from higher-income. In DTLA an estimated
1,354 of those in poverty are less than a high school graduate, and an
estimated 796 are high school graduates (Poverty Status In The Last 12 Months).
In "Effects of Poverty, Hunger and
Homelessness on Children and Youth" the academic achievement
gap for poorer youth is particularly pronounced for low-income African American
and Hispanic children compared with their more affluent White
peers. Under-resourced schools in communities, such as DTLA, struggle to
meet the learning needs of their students and aid them in fulfilling their
potential ("Effects of
Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth."). Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty
by making it more difficult for low-income children to change their futures ("Effects of Poverty, Hunger and
Homelessness on Children and Youth.").
·
ADD THE PART IN THE OTHER WES MOORE
ABOUT THE TEACHER/WES SITUATION
The effects of living in a high poverty
location such as DTLA are homelessness because the price for shelter is costly.
Adam
Nagourney, an American journalist
covering U.S. politics for The New York Times, wrote an article on how the
unemployment rate has dropped, but the homeless rate has sky rocketed. Nagourney
wants his audience to be aware that the many homeless are homeless because they
can’t afford a place to sleep with their income. Nagourney states “some business leaders and neighborhood
groups dispute the idea that gentrification and rising housing costs are the
main causes of the increase in the homeless population.” Jennifer Medina, a New York
Times national correspondent, wrote an article on
how the Mayor and City Council of Los Angeles propose to spend $100 million
dollars in the next
year on housing and other services. Medina wants her audience to be aware that
rising housing costs in urban areas, and an uneven economic recovery have
helped fuel a rise in homelessness. Medina citing Megan Hustings, the interim
director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, states “this is the
fallout of not having anywhere near the affordable housing that’s needed.
The aspect of increasing the length of stays in shelters and more rent
subsidies to the street people sounds wrong to me. Some might say increasing
the length of stays in shelters doesn’t give other street people a chance of
shelter, and that more rent subsidies might not just go towards rent, possibly
drugs. Many people would say the assumption that “this is the fallout of not
having anywhere near the affordable housing that’s needed” strikes them as
problematic, because if houses were affordable the number of people off the
streets would change drastically.
·
ADD HOW HOMELESSNESS CONNECTS TO
CRIME
·
ADD WES AND THE DRUG GAME
The effects of living in a high poverty
location such as DTLA makes it hard to be healthy, get a good education, and to
stay away from homelessness. Hopefully with the minimum wage going from ten
dollars to fifteen dollars this can allow those living in poverty a better way
of living. Do you think the poverty rate will decrease if the minimum wage
increases?
Works
Cited
"Effects of Poverty, Hunger and
Homelessness on Children and Youth." American Psychological Association. 2015 American
Psychological Association. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
Medina, Jennifer. "Los Angeles
Puts $100 Million Into Helping Homeless." New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Murray, Bobbi. "Finding
Nutrition in the Food Deserts of California." Pacific Standard. The
Miller-McCune Center for Research,
Media and Public Policy, 2 Mar. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
Nagourney, Adam. "Los Angeles
Confronts a Spike in Homelessness Amid Prosperity." The New York Times. The New
York Times, 13 June 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.
"POVERTY STATUS IN THE PAST 12
MONTHS." American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
A vlog is a video blog. A person who
vlogs is a vlogger. Most vloggers post their videos on YouTube, which makes
them YouTubers. Now, if you are familiar with YouTubers and vloggers, when I
say woman YouTubers, do you automatically think of beauty vloggers like Jenna
Marbles and Zoella? YouTube, launched in 2005, providing a forum for people to
upload videos to connect, share, and inspire people, but there is still rampant
sexism on YouTube. Sexism on YouTube is an issue because it highlights and
exacerbates gender inequality. Women on YouTube get more hateful and critical comments
than men simply because they are female, they are overall less respected, and
they are subjected to double standards because they are objectified even if not
relevant to the videos they upload. Those who hide behind a computer screen,
and simply write hateful comments don’t realize there is another person on the
other side, and that their comments hurt.
Women on YouTube get more hateful
comments than men. In the essay ‘My Most Attractive Adversary’ posted on Women’s
Village, Madeline Kane states “the fact of being female is always an issue.”
The comments on videos for most women on YouTube are derogatory, and have
nothing to do with the content of their videos. In Jenna Marbles “Some Thoughts
On Avocados” video, she rants about avocados. Aaron Barnai commented, “Is
avocado slang for vag or something?” What does Marbles ranting about avocados
have to do with woman body parts? While Tyler Oakley’s “Sued Because Of My
Book???” video, in which he answers his fans questions about his book, has many
more positive comments than his fellow vlogger Jenna Marbles. While both videos
have around a millions views, the Jenna Marbles video has more dislikes than
Tyler Oakley’s. Some may argue this because Tyler Oakley is male he has more
likes and more positive comments.
In “YouTube Star Swings Through Her
Hometown” Gabe Rosenberg, a journalist that previously wrote for the Pittsburgh Post – Gazette, discusses
YouTube star Justine Ezarik’s also known as “iJustine” on her YouTube channel.
Rosenberg asserts that Ezarik details in her book I, Justine that “her very public
persona has ended up in a lack of privacy and security, compounded by
considerable sexism in her chosen worlds of tech.” Putting herself out
there for everyone to see came with negative outcomes. Rosenberg writes that
the hateful comments stuck more with Ezarik than the positive comments. Most
people who write rude comments don’t think there is another person on the other
end are actually hurt by what they wrote.
In the article “How Sexism Plays Out on YouTube” Fruzsina Eördögh, a journalist covering various Internet phenomena
including YouTube, says there are many nasty and disturbing comments on
many YouTube videos featuring women. Eördögh writes, “It’s not just the trolls
or haters in the comments section of videos; all YouTubers have
been hating on women for gendered reasons since the site’s
inception.” Some gendered reasons could be that females are perceived as annoying,
all women want to do is give guys makeovers, and guys are more chill. Eördögh
says the supporters of derogatory comments are those who believe it’s the
victim’s fault, i.e. the female vlogger. Eördögh tells us that a woman wearing
a tank top in her video sends both genders into a sexist frenzy. Based on YouTube comments, it is clear
that women are less respected overall.
VidCon, the conference where fans come together and meet
their favorite Youtubers, sexism was a topic brought up to the beauty pannel. The bulk of attendees at VidCon are young
women (Spencer). In “What it’s really like to be a women on YouTube” Rae Votta,
a writer for The Daily Dot, says at
the VidCon Beauty vloggers panel, Kalel Cullen talks to the small crowd at the
panel about girl on girl hate. We as women need to come together and stop the
derogatory comments from being said from either gender. Some suggestions of
what needs to be done are to address the issues and emphasize them (Votta).
Vidcon puts their Code of Conduct on each badge that states, “VidCon is a safe place for all attendees. VidCon
is a private event and people who mistreat or disrespect other people will be
removed and not allowed for the duration of the event” (Votta). According to
Rae Votta last year women “gathered outside the convention center for an
impromptu session. This year, their voices were spread across three different
panels of varying size, addressing longstanding issues and hot-button topics
that arose in the past year.” In addition, Vidcon banned men who abused their
power in the YouTube space and did the right thing by cutting ties “in the wake
of allegations” (Votta).
Women on YouTube are generally less
respected because women are often viewed as objects rather than as equals.
Women are objectified by references such as lovely and beautiful. Due to the
fact that women are less respected on YouTube, they often have to post on less
substantive topics, such as beauty. Akihla Hughes, an active vlogger “emphasizes
that the stigma around beauty vlogging traps women entering the space who have
been tricked by society into believing they can only do certain kinds on
content” (Votta). This trick being that the vloggers are only good at making
videos in their space and are only allowed to make video of the same content.
Women on YouTube try to avoid the sexist culture by putting themselves in the
beauty section, even though it doesn’t stop the anti-women haters from writing
rude comments (Eördögh).
They are subjected to more criticism based on their appearance.
Women on YouTube are subjected to double
standards because they are viewed for their bodies, when what they are wearing or
look like has nothing to do with the videos they upload. For example, Emily
Graslie, who runs an educational channel, The Brain Scoop, said that if she
doesn’t continuously upload educational videos and wear teacher appropriate
clothing, viewers won’t take her seriously (Votta). In addition she felt that
she had to upload videos of the same content because she felt if she talked
about anything beauty related people would no longer care about the educational
message she’s trying to promote (Votta). When YouTuber iJustine wore a tank many
critiqued her for looking “inappropriate”, and one YouTuber went on a tirade
about IJustine to thirty thousand viewers and gave her the nickname “iWhore.”
The disturbing nickname to this day haunts IJustine.
YouTube has safety mode feature, which
gives the viewer more control. Safety mode is a “setting that helps
screen out potentially objectionable content that you may prefer not to see or
don't want others in your family to stumble across while enjoying YouTube.” For
example, if women wore a bikini
and the YouTube community doesn’t like it, it is considered mature content with
an age restriction, you must be eighteen or older to view the content. Men are
allowed to be sexual, or wear no shirt, and have no age restrictions on their
videos. When a video has an age restriction women lose their ability to make
money, because YouTube doesn’t run ads on age restricted content (Eördögh). When YouTubers don’t make money, they
can’t buy products to make there next video, and so on. YouTube is making it
hard for women to be successful on YouTube, because if it is considered mature
content these women can not run ads, which makes it more difficult to find
through the search engine.
Although some may say women YouTubers
have it easy because it’s easier to get sponsored, they are at a disadvantage because
they are looked down upon for making the same videos as men.
If women vloggers don’t make traditional feminine videos, viewers tend to think
women are trying to hard to be one of the guys. There are only two female vloggers, Zoella and Daily Grace,
who are in the top ten vloggers. This is because YouTube is a male dominant
market because women can seem intimidating (Eördögh). For this
reason women still have it
hard being successful vloggers.
Women vloggers face many hardships based
on their gender in order to prevent this the vlogging community we need to be
supportive, be respectable, and come together collectively to stop hateful and
derogatory comments from being posted. Women
are helping each other, making collaborations, and noticing what helping one
another does for women. If there
was someone you cared about that wanted to become a vlogger you would want him
or her to enjoy what he or she are doing.
Works Cited
Eördögh, Fruzsina. "How Sexism
Plays Out on YouTube." The One and Only Fruzsina Eördögh. 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
Marbles, Jenna. “Some Thoughts On
Avocados.” Online video clip. YouTube. JennaMarbles. 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Oakley, Tyler. “Sued Because Of My Book??? | Tyler Oakley.” Online video clip. YouTube. Tyler Oakley. 6 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Rosenberg, Gabe.
"YouTube Star Swings Through Her Hometown." Pittsburgh Post – Gazette 05Jun 2015. ProQuest.Web. 3 Oct. 2015.
"Safety Mode: Giving You More
Control on YouTube." Official YouTube Blog. 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
Spencer, Kate. "VidCon
Explained: 5 Reasons You Must Pay Attention To YouTubers." VH1. Viacom International Inc., 2 July 2014. Web.
17 Oct. 2015.
Votta, Rae. "What It's Really
like to Be a Woman on YouTube." The Daily Dot. The Daily Dot, 14 July 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
Sexism On YouTube (Draft Two)
A vlog is a video blog. A person who
vlogs is a vlogger. Most vloggers post their videos on YouTube, which makes
them YouTubers. Now, if you are familiar with YouTubers and vloggers, when I
say woman YouTubers, do you automatically think of beauty vloggers like Jenna
Marbles and Zoella? YouTube, launched in 2005, providing a forum for people to
upload videos to connect, share, and inspire people, but there is still rampant
sexism on YouTube. Sexism on YouTube is a big issue today because it highlights
and exacerbates gender inequality. Women on YouTube get more hateful and
critical comments than men simply because they are female, they are overall less
respected, and they are subjected to double standards because they are viewed
for their bodies when what they are wearing, or look like has nothing to do
with the videos they upload. Those of both genders who hide behind a computer
screen, and simply write hateful comments, but they don’t realize there is
another person on the other side, and that their comments hurt.
Women on YouTube get more hateful
comments than men. In ‘My Most Attractive Adversary’ Madeline Kane, whose essay
appeared in Women’s Village, states “the fact of being female is always an
issue.” The comments on videos for most women on YouTube are derogatory, and
have nothing to do with their videos. In Jenna Marbles “Some Thoughts On Avocados”
video, she rants about avocados, Aaron Barnai commented, “Is avocado slang for
vag or something?” What does Marbles ranting about avocados have to do with
woman body parts? While Tyler Oakley’s “Sued Because Of My Book???” video, in
which he answers his fans questions about his book, has many more positive
comments than his fellow vlogger Jenna Marbles. While both videos have around a
millions views, the Jenna Marbles video has more dislikes than Tyler Oakley’s.
In “YouTube Star Swings Through Her
Hometown” Gabe Rosenberg, a journalist that previously wrote for the Pittsburgh Post – Gazette, discusses
YouTube star Justine Ezarik’s also known as “iJustine” on her YouTube channel.
Rosenberg asserts that Ezarik details in her book I, Justine that “her very public
persona has ended up in a lack of privacy and security, compounded by
considerable sexism in her chosen worlds of tech.” Rosenberg writes that
the hateful comments stuck more with Ezarik than the positive comments. Most people who write rude comments don’t think
there is another person on the other end actually hurt by what they wrote.
VidCon is where fans get to come
together and meet their favorite YouTubers and have a q&a in the span of
three days. The bulk of
attendees at VidCon are young women (Spencer). In “What it’s really like to be
a women on YouTube” Rae Votta, a writer for The
Daily Dot, says at the VidCon Beauty vloggers panel, Kalel Cullen talks to
the small crowd at the panel about girl on girl hate. We as women need to come
together and stop the derogatory comments from being said from either gender.
In the article “How Sexism Plays Out on YouTube” Fruzsina Eördögh, a journalist covering various Internet phenomena
including YouTube, says there are many nasty and disturbing comments on
many YouTube videos featuring women. Eördögh writes, “It’s not just the trolls
or haters in the comments section of videos; all YouTubers have
been hating on women for gendered reasons since the site’s
inception.” Some gendered reasons could be that females are annoying, all women
want to do is give guys makeovers, and guys are more chill. Eördögh says the
supporters of derogatory comments are those who believe it’s the victim’s
fault. Eördögh tells us that a woman wearing a tank top in her video sends both
genders into a sexist frenzy. Based
on YouTube comments, it is clear that women are less respected overall.
Women on YouTube are generally less
respected because women are often viewed as objects rather than as equals.
Women are objectified by references such as lovely and beautiful. I wouldn’t
call my male co-workers lovely. Due to
the fact that women are less respected on YouTube, they often have to post on
less substantive topics, such as beauty. “Hughes emphasizes that the stigma
around beauty vlogging traps women entering the space who have been tricked by
society into believing they can only do certain kinds on content” (Votta). This
trick being they aren’t good enough for anything else, do something women will
pay attention. Women on YouTube try to avoid the sexist culture by putting
themselves in the beauty section, even though it doesn’t stop the anti-women
haters from writing rude comments (Eördögh). Women are less respected on YouTube in
general, but when they wear spaghetti straps it causes both sexes to go crazy.
They are subjected to more criticism based on their appearance.
Women on YouTube are subjected to double
standards because they are viewed for their bodies, when what they are wearing,
or look like has nothing to do with the videos they upload.
Women
have to keep a constant way of vlogging. For example, Emily Graslie, who runs
an educational channel, The Brain Scoop, explained that she felt if she talked
about anything beauty related people would no longer care about the educational
message she’s trying to get out (Votta). If she doesn’t continuously upload
education videos and wear teacher appropriate clothing, viewers don’t take her
seriously. Another example is when YouTuber iJustine wore a tank top and it
sent both genders into a sexist frenzy (Eördögh). Many critiqued her for
looking “inappropriate”, but one YouTuber went on a tirade about IJustine to
thirty thousand viewers and gave her the nickname “iWhore.” The disturbing
nickname to this day haunts IJustine.
Men are allowed to be sexual, or wear no
shirt, and have no age restrictions on their videos. YouTube has safety mode
feature, which gives you more control. Safety mode is a “setting
that helps screen out potentially objectionable content that you may prefer not
to see or don't want others in your family to stumble across while enjoying
YouTube.” For example, if women
wore a bikini and the YouTube community doesn’t like it, it is considered
mature content with an age restriction, you must be eighteen or older to view
the content. When a video has an age restriction women lose their ability to
make money, because YouTube doesn’t run ads on age restricted content (Eördögh). When YouTubers don’t make money, they
can’t buy products to make there next video, and so on. YouTube is making it hard
for women to be successful on YouTube, because if it is considered mature
content these women can not run ads, which makes it more difficult to find
through the search engine.
Although some may say women YouTubers
have it easy, they are really at a disadvantage because they are looked down
upon for making the same videos as men. “Women feel such pressure to be
everything, do everything…career, kids, art, (and) politics. It’s as if they’re
trying to overcome a million years’ worth of evolution on one lifetime”
(Sanders). If women vloggers don’t make traditional feminine videos, viewers
tend to think women plan out when to post their videos like they have some
secret agenda, when they don’t (Eördögh).
There are only two female
vloggers, Zoella and Daily Grace, who are in the top ten vloggers. I think this
is because for women to be successful you really have to be able to communicate
well, sell what you are saying, and have a great personality. YouTube is a male
dominant market because women intimidate people, but times are changing (Eördögh).
For this reason women still
have it hard being successful vloggers.
Although women vloggers face many
hardships, we need to be supportive, be respectable, and come together
collectively to stop hateful and derogatory comments from being posted. Women are helping each other, making
collaborations, and noticing what helping one another does for women. If there was someone you cared about that
wanted to become a vlogger you would want him or her to enjoy what he or she
are doing.
Works Cited
Eördögh, Fruzsina. "How Sexism
Plays Out on YouTube." The One and Only Fruzsina Eördögh. 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
Kane, Begun
Madeline. “My Most
Attractive Adversary” 17 Oct. 2015
Marbles, Jenna. “Some Thoughts On
Avocados.” Online video clip. YouTube. JennaMarbles. 1 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Oakley, Tyler. “SUED BECAUSE OF MY BOOK??? | Tyler Oakley.” Online video clip. YouTube. Tyler Oakley. 6 Oct. 2015. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Rosenberg, Gabe.
"YOUTUBE STAR SWINGS THROUGH HER HOMETOWN." Pittsburgh Post –Gazette 05 Jun 2015. ProQuest.Web. 3 Oct. 2015.
"Safety Mode: Giving You More
Control on YouTube." Official YouTube Blog. 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 18
Oct. 2015.
Sanders, Russel Scott. “The Men We
Carry in Our Minds.” Print. 17 Oct. 2015.
Spencer, Kate. "VidCon
Explained: 5 Reasons You Must Pay Attention To YouTubers." VH1. Viacom International Inc., 2 July 2014. Web.
17 Oct. 2015.
Votta, Rae. "What It's Really
like to Be a Woman on YouTube." The Daily Dot. The Daily Dot, 14 July 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
Outline: Sexism On YouTube (First Draft)
Specific Purpose Statement: Sexism on YouTube.
Audience: Reasonable educated reader.
Working Thesis Statement: Women on YouTube get more hateful
comments than men, are less respected, and have double standards because they
are viewed for their bodies where as men are viewed for their actual skills and
talent.
INTRODUCTION:
I.
When
I say woman YouTubers do you automatically think of beauty channels, more
specifically Jenna Marbles and Zoella?
II.
YouTube,
launched in 2005, was made to allow people to upload videos to connect, share,
and inspire people, but there is sadly sexism on YouTube.
III.
Women
on YouTube get more hateful comments than men simply because they are female,
are less respected, and have double standards because they are viewed for their
bodies where as men are viewed for their actual skills and talent.
Transition:
Those of both genders who hide behind a computer screen, and simply write
hateful comments do not realize there is another person on the other side, and
that their comments hurt.
BODY:
I.
A. Women on YouTube get more hateful
comments than men. In ‘My Most Attractive Adversary’ Madeline Kane says, “the
fact of being female is always an issue.”
1.
In “YouTube Star Swings Through Her Hometown”
Gabe Rosenberg, a journalist that previously wrote for Pittsburgh Post –
Gazette, talks about YouTube star Justine Ezarik’s also known as “iJustine” on
her YouTube channel. Rosenberg asserts that Ezarik details in her book I, Justine about how “her very public persona has
ended up in a lack of privacy and security, compounded by considerable sexism
in her chosen worlds of tech.” Rosenberg writes that the hateful comments
stuck more with Ezarik than the positive comments.
2. In “What it’s really like to be a women
on YouTube” Rae Votta, a writer for The Daily Dot, says at the VidCon Beauty
vloggers panel Kalel Cullen talks to the small crowd at the panel about girl on
girl hate.
B. In the article “How Sexism
Plays Out on YouTube” Fruzsina Eördögh, a journalist covering various Internet
phenomena including YouTube, says there are many nasty and disturbing
comments on many YouTube videos featuring women. Eördögh writes, “It’s not just the trolls or haters in the comments section
of videos; all YouTubers have been hating on women for gendered
reasons since the site’s inception.” Eördögh says the supporters of
derogatory comments are those who believe it’s the victim’s fault. Eördögh
tells us that a woman wearing a tank top in her video sends both genders into a
sexist frenzy.
Transition: Seeing as women get the most hate, they
are less respected as well.
II.
Women
on YouTube are less respected.
A.
I
believe woman are less respected because we are not seen as equals to men we
are seen more as objects.
B.
Women
are less respected on YouTube so they stick to the beauty section.
1.
Croucher
said at the women on YouTube channel at VidCon, “even though the beauty
vloggers have more views, they have less respect” (Votta).
a. Men are
more concerned with obtaining their power status.
b. Women
don’t support each other when they want to make a change.
2.
Women
on YouTube try to avoid the sexist culture by sticking themselves in the beauty
section, even though it doesn’t stop the anti-women haters from writing rude
comments (Eördögh).
Transition: Women are less respected on YouTube in
general, but when they wear spaghetti straps it causes both sexes to go crazy.
III.
Women
on YouTube have double standards because they are viewed for their bodies where
as men are viewed for their actual skills and talent.
A. Women have to keep a constant way of
vlogging.
1. Emily Graslie, who runs The Brain Shop,
an education channel explained that she felt if she talked about anything
beauty related people no longer care about the educational message she’s trying
to get out (Votta).
2. YouTuber iJustine wore a tank top and
it sent both genders into a sexist frenzy (Eördögh).
B. Men are allowed to be sexual.
1. Men are allowed to be sexual, or wear
no shirt, and have no age restrictions on their videos.
2.Where as if a women wore a bikini it is
considered mature content with an age restriction.
3.
YouTube is making it hard for women to be successful on YouTube because if it
is considered mature content these women can not run ads, which makes it more
difficult to find through the search engine.
IV.
Although
some may say women YouTubers have it easy, they are really at a disadvantage (Eördögh).
1.
If women vloggers do not stick to
making traditional feminine videos viewers tend to think women plan out when to
post their videos like they have some secret agenda.
2.
There
are only two female vloggers, Zoella and Daily Grace, who are in the top ten
vloggers.
3.
YouTube
is a male dominant market, but times are changing (Eördögh).
Transition: Nonetheless women still have it hard
being successful vloggers.
CONCLUSION
I.
Although
women vloggers face many hardships, we need to be supportive, be respectable,
and come together collectively to stop hateful and derogatory comments from
being posted.
II.
If
you had someone you care about want to become a vlogger would you want them
posting about a topic they care about just to see hateful comments?
Works Cited
Eördögh, Fruzsina. "How Sexism
Plays Out on YouTube." The One and Only Fruzsina Eördögh. 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2015.
Rosenberg, Gabe. "YOUTUBE STAR SWINGS THROUGH HER HOMETOWN." Pittsburgh
Post –Gazette 05 Jun 2015. ProQuest.Web. 3 Oct. 2015.
Votta, Rae. "What It's Really
like to Be a Woman on YouTube." The Daily Dot. The Daily Dot, 14 July 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
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