Week 12 Journal

Thursday: November 5, 2020

Today we took a quiz, as we do every Thursday, but y’all know the drill by now. We also went over the survey results from the survey we took on Black Panther a few days ago. With this, there were questions asking if we believe that the current vision of Wakanda is the best outcome we could have or is the best it could be, as well as if that’s what we would hope to see our world look like/what would be the ideal world? My ideal world/what I wish the world to be would begin with basic equality and peace for all. I know the wish of world peace is so generic, but imagine a world with no war, no fighting for land, no artificial state/nation boundaries, no violence to prove that one person/group/place/ is better or more worthy than another. I also believe that people shouldn’t be working to live; in an ideal world, anyone working does so because they truly enjoy it and have a passion for it. We shouldn’t have billionaires on one end and people struggling financially to live on the other. We should live in a community based world, a world where we help each other. Here’s a crazy idea, billionaires could invest in programs that benefit the whole or that work to eliminate poverty. How could you have so much money that you won’t even be able to spend in a lifetime (and you’d even half enough to pass down to your children if applicable) and you don’t want to give some away or invest some in beneficial programs? While we’re on the topic of money, I believe that education should be free. If the world is set up in a way where you have to have an education to get a job to earn money to pay for whatever amenities you have to live, then why would we have to pay for that education. It’s literally a trap that you’re stuck in for most of your life once you enter it. Aside from that, we shouldn’t have to pay to EDUCATE OURSELVES!! We should be able to learn whatever we find interest in or whatever topics can benefit ourselves and our community at small and at large; there should be no need to pay to better your education or to begin an education. Knowledge shouldn’t come at a price. With that, good teachers should be paid more because they are often responsible for relaying knowledge to the next generation or current generations, really to anyone who wants it. I also think that tenure is a messed up system; there are many teachers with tenure that are able sort of free float because they have job security, whereas many teachers who often perform better to care more are at risk of losing their job due to budget cuts or so that the university could save some money. It really makes no sense. I guess with that I would say that I don’t want money to rule the world, that’s what causes so many decisions to be made, decisions that shouldn’t have even been options in the first place. I want a world where we’re all on the same playing field, where there isn’t an extreme wealth gap, where there is systemic racism and inequality, and where you don’t have to fear for your life depending where you live. I also feel like the whole political system should be changed, but that’s a huge thing. I’m honestly not even sure how I’d want to begin to change that and it would be very difficult to get everyone on the same page. I think that there shouldn’t be scamming and scheming in politics; it all comes down to money and power. It’s extremely scary to think that those in leadership positions make their decisions based on what will benefit them financially and socially. Often, our future is in their hands and they just look out for their best interests. Although not everyone may be directly affected by it, the world is a scary place and so much change needs to happen. We need to start somewhere and someday and what’s going on right now just isn’t enough. With the results of the election there is a slight glimpse of hope for what may come in the future, but it goes much deeper than that. Often, no matter who’s in office or in positions of leadership, the capitalist system comes first. It may be said often, but people in these positions don’t always have your best interest at heart, even when that’s their job. The world is ridiculously composed and something has got to change.

Tuesday: November 10, 2020

Today groups one and two presented their projects; Group 1 (Obi, Miles, Madison, Ethan) presented on Tupac’s song “Changes” and Group 2 (Kendra, Alicia, Anna) presented on the movie Princess and the Frog.

Changes by Tupac Shakur

I always thought this was such a great song, so I was really excited when I saw that Group 1 had picked it. In their presentation of this song, they presented the class with a document of some of the key verses and asked that we write our thoughts on the lyrics and how they relate to leadership and its development. The verse that stood out to me the most was verse three:

We gotta make a change

It’s time for us as a people to start makin’ some changes

Let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live

And let’s change the way we treat each other

You see the old way wasn’t working so it’s on us to do

What we gotta do, to survive

Here he is saying that the old way of living is not good enough and that people need to change their outlook of their community

What leadership qualities are shown in this song?

In this verse, Tupac is making a call to action and portraying leadership in doing so. This can be unifying by bringing the community together to make these changes and truly see a difference in the way they live. He is also implying that there’s hope in making these changes and that if everyone works together they can form a better community. Part of being a good leader is being brave enough to do what others won’t. Tupac is portraying bravery in calling out all that is wrong in his community. It’s sort of like when you call out family members for having immoral beliefs… that takes guts and it’s not always an easy thing to do. Tupac is calling out his community and telling them that they can do and be better, which I’d consider one hell of a leadership trait. Aside from calling out his community, he is also willing to be a part of that change. He isn’t just stating a problem and going about his life, he is stating a problem, listing solutions, and taking personal initiative.

Can music be unifying?

Music can definitely be unifying, but that heavily comes down to the intent behind it and the listener’s interpretation. In “Changes,” there seems to be an attempt to unify the community. Tupac is calling out what is wrong in the community and lists changes that must be made to create a better one; in doing so, he calls those to action who are willing to make these “changes,” thus bringing them together. Music can also be unifying by calling out violence and its negativity in a community. In the beginning of verse 4 from Group 1’s document Tupac says:

And still I see no changes can’t a brother get a little peace?

It’s war on the streets and the war in the Middle East

Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs

In this verse, Tupac is referencing gang violence and a war on drugs, implying that each has a damaging effect on the community. He is calling out the violence that faces the community and hoping that in doing so, people will rise up and attempt to change that. Why is there a need for gang violence? What would happen if we all just came together and helped each other, as opposed to succumbing to violence and rivalry? These seem to be some of the underlying questions being raised within these lines. If we can change the mindset of the people, maybe they’ll realize that there’s no need for this violence and that it’s only tearing apart the community. All Tupac wants is “a little peace” and if we can become unified then he will achieve just that. Lyrics aside, the beat and melody of the song are relatively lighthearted, uplifting, and hopeful. By continuing this energy from beginning to end, listeners can have hope that these changes truly will occur and that if everyone works together they can begin to see the world they want to live in.

Is Tupac a friend to humanity?

Regarding this song in specific, I definitely wouldn’t say that he’s a friend to humanity, but he is a friend to his community. His song points out the flaws in his community and the changes that can be made to fix them, he has the best interest for his community specifically, not for the world. At the end of the day he’ll do what he can to better his community; that’s his first priority.

Princess and the Frog

Group 2 began their presentation speaking about the detriments of overworking, especially for Black women in this specific movie. This led to a discussion of the difference between being a workaholic and working hard. A few people were saying they believe there’s a biased difference between men who work a lot and women who work a lot; they believe that often the men that work a lot are termed hard workers, whereas the women who work a lot are termed workaholics or uptight. I wouldn’t completely agree with this claim, although to a certain extent, I’m sure it’s true. What I consider to be more accurate is the labeling of workers in terms of whether or not they need the money. I feel like those who work a lot (regardless of gender) and don’t necessarily need the money are considered workaholics, whereas those who work a lot (regardless of gender) and do need the money are considered hard workers. When people who don’t exactly need the money (aka are financially well off or not working to survive) work a lot, it often seems as if they put their work before their personal relationships and maybe don’t care about any negatives that occur with themselves or others, as long as they get their work done. On the flip side, when people who need the money (aka are not financially well off or are working to survive) work a lot, it seems as if they are doing it for the benefit of others, not themselves. They may work as often as they do because they need money to provide for themselves and their family, having their families best interest at heart. Of course, this doesn’t apply in all cases; not every workaholic puts their relationships to the side or is financially well off and not every hard worker has a family to take care of for them to survive and is not financially well off. This claim is merely based on what I see in my life or have seen others experience in their lives, but you can’t make assumptions that apply to everyone, so take this with a grain of salt. With this, I think I would consider Tiana to be a mix of the two. She is both a hard worker and a workaholic because she, very simply put, works hard, but she also refuses help from others and makes things more difficult for herself. She could be a hard worker and still accept help from others, which leads to one of the questions Group 2 asked the class:

Is part of being a good leader being able to accept help?

Simply put, yes! Accepting help from others doesn’t make you any less qualified at what you do, which I feel many people believe (which is why they often don’t accept help). But to be a good leader I think you must be able to accept help from others. By not doing so, you overlook the talents and ideas of your team or of those who are willing/trying to help you. How great of a leader can you be if you don’t accept help from others? Just because you are in the position that you’re in doesn’t mean you know everything about the topic and it doesn’t always mean that you have the best ideas. Part of being a great leader is being able to collaborate with others, not always believing that your idea is the best and that none compare. There’s more than one reason that leader’s don’t accept help, it isn’t always because they’re stubborn and believe they have the best idea. It can also be due to the fact that they’re consumed in their work or maybe want to prove to themselves that they can accomplish something. Tiana, for example, didn’t accept the help of her friends and family. Now I understand, if you’re trying to earn a certain amount of money, you may not want a hand out, you may want to earn that money on your own. But Tiana was extra hard on herself, pushing herself to do so much when she could have made the process a little simpler for herself, but sometimes like to push themselves and prove to themselves that they can accomplish things on their own. This leads to the next question, which I will cover briefly.

Is being hard on yourself detrimental?

Of course, being hard on yourself can be very beneficial and can help you to stick to a plan or task and achieve your goals, but it can also be extremely detrimental. We know that Tiana was extremely hard on herself, which in part explains why she didn’t take the money she was offered by friends or family. But in being hard on yourself you can often overlook your team, pushing yourself to do all the work, leaving them with little to do and missing out on some of their contributions. You can also create extreme distance between yourself and others, harming your relationships. When you are too hard on yourself you often get worked up and focus too much on yourself, giving less attention to the things around you.

We were asked to make comparisons between characters in Princess and the Frog and other works we’ve gone over. The explanation of being so hard on yourself that you create distance between yourself and others sounds quite familiar. Both Tiana and Ned Weeks from Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart push themselves to a point where they create distance between themselves and the people they care about. Ned gets so wrapped up in work and making a change that he sort of forgets to take care of his relationships. Tiana doesn’t seem to create as much distance, but she still overworks herself and gets wrapped up in doing so.

Why was it so tough for Tiana to find out that she had what she needed all along?

This is the last point I would like to make in regards to the movie and Group 2’s presentation. In their key scene 1, Mama Odie was telling Tiana and Prince Naveen that they need to “dig a little deeper.” In doing so, Mama Odie tells Tiana that she has in her what her father had in him, essentially claiming that she has in her what she needs to accomplish her goals. I think the general realization for Tiana that she has in her what she needs is tough for her to accept because it gives her no excuse to work as much as she does. Tiana is constantly pushing herself, working for an unnecessary outer achievement. I say unnecessary because as we now know, she has in her what she needs. She gets so wrapped up in her work, thinking that it’s necessary for her to achieve her goals, but then she finds out that’s not the case. I think it’s hard on her because it sort of forces her to take a step back from the efforts she’s adjusted to and gives her less reason to work as hard as she’s done. Luckily, everything works out in the end, aside from the fact that Ray dies, which I still feel is uncalled for! :(