Many people know about the age long rivalry between skaters and cops, but why does it exist? I'm not completely sure but I'll do my best to figure it out in this blog. I think it started in the 70's because of the skaters such as those in "Lord's of Dogtown", who were generally unlawful and harbored resentment for authority figures. And it's totally understandable that the police would take a disliking to this breed of skater. But as time progresses, their resentment still exists, and although some skateboarders are unlawful, most are not. And it's unfair that cops pick on us all the time when a lot of us really don't deserve it.
Their are so many police brutality videos when their are police officers that unnecessarily single out skateboarders. There's one titled "Go Skateboarding Day". Even before the video starts there's a picture of a cop on top of a 12 year old kid who was just skating on the street, choking him. At this point I guess the cameras catch up and the aforementioned kid is in handcuffs. The officer then tries to grab everyone watching that has a board. He ends up tackling a girl, arresting her, and two other guys when they weren't resisting.
The most frequent opening line for the cops/ person kicking you out is always "does this look like a skate park to you?" Well obviously it isn't a skate park if we are getting kicked out. Unfortunately most people live like 6 miles from a local skate park so were else are we supposed to skate? In every video I've seen it's always been the cops that start it, or at least throw the first punch. The typical setting for these ugly conflicts is there's a few people skating, obviously a person filming, in a place they aren't really supposed to. Then a rent-a-cop shows up, since he thinks he is the law, he starts hassling the skaters they get in a fist fight and then one of them backs down (usually the cop). This unnecessary resentment is probably what keeps it going on both sides. Skaters don't like cops because cops don't like skaters and vice-versa. It's a vicious circle that doesn't make anyone happy. I don't know what can be done to end it. There are some nice police officers, but there definitely aren't enough.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
English Final
2. Choose one of your posts. (Your favorite? Your least favorite? The one that surprises you the most when you reread it? Any one you want to pick.) Analyze it in detail, with quotes etc.
For this question I'm picking my first and, unfortunately, only skateboarding post. It's definitely the one that surprises me the most when I read it. Not that it's particularly good or bad. I guess it's just because of the last paragraph that I was really surprised. Anyways, now I will commence my analysis.
The first paragraph was controlled but there was definitely an undertow of frustration and desperation. "They keep coming up with new ways to stop skaters from doing what they love. Thousands of skate stoppers are installed every day and with ever increasing numbers, there's just not very much to go around." When I was writing this, I had just heard about the article in it. And it's understandably frustrating for a skater.
The next paragraph is very calm and full of hope for the skating community "But skating can't, and won't, be silenced... "There are way too many of us to be silenced, we might not all get along but we all have a similar cause.", until the article is introduced, then skating hearts should break. "A Calgary high school has banned skateboards from the property, upsetting hundreds of students...". I know Catholic schools are much more uptight than public schools but this is seriously a case of discrimination. And if I were a skateboarder at that school, I would try to take it to court, because that is seriously messed up, but I digress.
The last paragraph is really why I chose this post for this question. In the last sentence specifically, I dropped the f-bomb and dropped it on "the establishment", which isn't really my mentality. I actually fit it in twice in the same paragraph, I've done that before but not in school writing, or really writing in general. In this last paragraph frustration and anger resurface, in one flowing malcontented paragraph. I'm actually very please at how well this paragraph flowed. No matter how frightening this post was, I liked it. I dug up some dirt on the dark side of skateboarding and wrote with passion, at some parts a little too much passion, but still, it was pretty good.
8. How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?
I actually really like having a blog. Having a school blog encouraged me to have a just-for-funzies blog, which I started a couple weeks ago. I already have a follower on that one and it isn't myself! Having a blog is great because you can really put yourself out there. You can advertise whatever you want. Your emotions, your products, feelings, everything, and anyone can see them. If you want to be noticed, this is the way to do it. My one follower is a through-and-through musician, who's music is on my Ipod, small world right? Just an example of the connections and success that come from having a blog. And it has changed my writing.
I think blogging has definitely added more personality to it. Although, that isn't great for formal righting, because now I throw more slang and phrases that express me. In retrospect that's not all that bad. I guess I right a lot lighter and more from the heart now. Not really lighter, more freely would be a better way to describe it. I will just write and write, then when I'm done I'll go back and thin it and get rid of stupid mistakes, most of the time. I've realized recently that I make a lot fewer mistakes when I write nowadays and I think that's because we write in such multitude in your class. Which is pretty cool.
I wouldn't say having a blog changes the way I think, but it has changed the way I put my thoughts into words. It's a good stress reliever in that way, I can put whatever I want out there and not have to keep it all pent up inside. I just put it all out there, and it feels good, even if no one reads it.
10. Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?
My ideas for blog topics come from the things I love. Music, skating, and whining about what's wrong with society. I love music, with a passion. I believe that the rest of my life will revolve around it. It's always easy to fall back on a subject that I know through-and-through. Skating is not always that easy to write about because there's not much to write about that people who don't skate would care about. But it is my blog so I guess that doesn't really matter. Before I say anything else, I should mention how I choose stuff to write about for my blog. First, I open up Google docs. Then I come up with a title (This is the most important step). I go over the topics I chose for my Statement of Purpose and pick the first one that pops out immediately, and that choice is almost always under the music category. I'd like to change that in the near future, but for now I have to do this final.And finally I write it and correct it.
As for inspiration, that's easy. I am inspired to write by all the people up top. For instance, in music, all the professional musicians and even some of the indie ones. In skating, the pros' and ams' that run it. As for education, mainly the people that run it: teachers, staff, board of directors, etc. But I wouldn't say the educational system inspires me in the way it should. It mainly inspires me to talk about what I don't like about it. And, unfortunately I haven''t talked much about that because I love music and skating so much. It's very paradoxical but, I survive, and I write.
For this question I'm picking my first and, unfortunately, only skateboarding post. It's definitely the one that surprises me the most when I read it. Not that it's particularly good or bad. I guess it's just because of the last paragraph that I was really surprised. Anyways, now I will commence my analysis.
The first paragraph was controlled but there was definitely an undertow of frustration and desperation. "They keep coming up with new ways to stop skaters from doing what they love. Thousands of skate stoppers are installed every day and with ever increasing numbers, there's just not very much to go around." When I was writing this, I had just heard about the article in it. And it's understandably frustrating for a skater.
The next paragraph is very calm and full of hope for the skating community "But skating can't, and won't, be silenced... "There are way too many of us to be silenced, we might not all get along but we all have a similar cause.", until the article is introduced, then skating hearts should break. "A Calgary high school has banned skateboards from the property, upsetting hundreds of students...". I know Catholic schools are much more uptight than public schools but this is seriously a case of discrimination. And if I were a skateboarder at that school, I would try to take it to court, because that is seriously messed up, but I digress.
The last paragraph is really why I chose this post for this question. In the last sentence specifically, I dropped the f-bomb and dropped it on "the establishment", which isn't really my mentality. I actually fit it in twice in the same paragraph, I've done that before but not in school writing, or really writing in general. In this last paragraph frustration and anger resurface, in one flowing malcontented paragraph. I'm actually very please at how well this paragraph flowed. No matter how frightening this post was, I liked it. I dug up some dirt on the dark side of skateboarding and wrote with passion, at some parts a little too much passion, but still, it was pretty good.
8. How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?
I actually really like having a blog. Having a school blog encouraged me to have a just-for-funzies blog, which I started a couple weeks ago. I already have a follower on that one and it isn't myself! Having a blog is great because you can really put yourself out there. You can advertise whatever you want. Your emotions, your products, feelings, everything, and anyone can see them. If you want to be noticed, this is the way to do it. My one follower is a through-and-through musician, who's music is on my Ipod, small world right? Just an example of the connections and success that come from having a blog. And it has changed my writing.
I think blogging has definitely added more personality to it. Although, that isn't great for formal righting, because now I throw more slang and phrases that express me. In retrospect that's not all that bad. I guess I right a lot lighter and more from the heart now. Not really lighter, more freely would be a better way to describe it. I will just write and write, then when I'm done I'll go back and thin it and get rid of stupid mistakes, most of the time. I've realized recently that I make a lot fewer mistakes when I write nowadays and I think that's because we write in such multitude in your class. Which is pretty cool.
I wouldn't say having a blog changes the way I think, but it has changed the way I put my thoughts into words. It's a good stress reliever in that way, I can put whatever I want out there and not have to keep it all pent up inside. I just put it all out there, and it feels good, even if no one reads it.
10. Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?
My ideas for blog topics come from the things I love. Music, skating, and whining about what's wrong with society. I love music, with a passion. I believe that the rest of my life will revolve around it. It's always easy to fall back on a subject that I know through-and-through. Skating is not always that easy to write about because there's not much to write about that people who don't skate would care about. But it is my blog so I guess that doesn't really matter. Before I say anything else, I should mention how I choose stuff to write about for my blog. First, I open up Google docs. Then I come up with a title (This is the most important step). I go over the topics I chose for my Statement of Purpose and pick the first one that pops out immediately, and that choice is almost always under the music category. I'd like to change that in the near future, but for now I have to do this final.And finally I write it and correct it.
As for inspiration, that's easy. I am inspired to write by all the people up top. For instance, in music, all the professional musicians and even some of the indie ones. In skating, the pros' and ams' that run it. As for education, mainly the people that run it: teachers, staff, board of directors, etc. But I wouldn't say the educational system inspires me in the way it should. It mainly inspires me to talk about what I don't like about it. And, unfortunately I haven''t talked much about that because I love music and skating so much. It's very paradoxical but, I survive, and I write.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
View On Writing Groups
I don't really know what to expect from this group writing project thing. It could be helpful and fun but it could also be the exact opposite. I never get serious writers block and if I do get a little, it doesn't last long. Figuring out what to write about is pretty easy for me to do as well. I'm not trying to sound narcissistic, but I don't need much help in those aspects. I think some constructive criticism would probably do some good. I could definitely help other people. I could collaborate with them to create new post ideas, help them edit, all that good stuff. Although I'm not always the greatest explainer, trying never hurts.
I think it would be a good idea to work with friends along with people who write about similar subjects. With friends, you're not afraid to point out their flaws in writing and all around more comfortable. Working with people of the same writing genre is also a good idea because there would be cumulative understanding about the subject within the group. Some good guidelines would be: 1) Don't be an ass. 2) Do your work. The first one takes care of a lot of them but to name a couple, be nice when criticizing and help people who need it. Well, that's my perspective on this, take it or leave it.
I think it would be a good idea to work with friends along with people who write about similar subjects. With friends, you're not afraid to point out their flaws in writing and all around more comfortable. Working with people of the same writing genre is also a good idea because there would be cumulative understanding about the subject within the group. Some good guidelines would be: 1) Don't be an ass. 2) Do your work. The first one takes care of a lot of them but to name a couple, be nice when criticizing and help people who need it. Well, that's my perspective on this, take it or leave it.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Hella Indie
Now I'm not as big of a fan of Indie music genre as some of my friends, but I like several Indie bands. It's my understanding that Indie is short for independent artists, but my colleges inform me that it is much more than that, it's a "lifestyle". I've also been told "if you can't sing for shit and you're in a band, you're indie." I guess the indie that everyone else imagines is different than mine. What I think they think is indie is bands like Okay, that have very strange vocals and little dinky guitar riffs and clappy drums 'n stuff. I prefer good music, I mean, I don't know about everyone else but that's the kind of music I like. As long as it's good, I don't care if it's mainstream or from the dark, dark depths of the indie garage.
What I further cannot comprehend is there are mainstream bands that are indie. Pardon my French but what the fuck? How is Metric indie? They are signed, labeled, and playing shows at BFD (Live 105.3). And Radiohead, according to myspace the last time I looked, is the most popular indie band. What??? If that isn't an oxymoron I don't know what is. I'm probably just talking out of my ass here but does anyone else get what I'm saying? I feel like I'm on an island here.
Bands like Mike Falzone and the Peppermint Trick that are totally independent but have good vocals, and good guitar, and bass, drums, synth and whatever else I can totally listen to. But if you're listening to a really shitty indie band or "mainstream-indie" bands like Metric just to seem indie, then go jump off a cliff or rid the world of your stupidity in some other way. Remember, there's nothing wrong with good music, but don't listen to anything to appeal to a certain crowd, it just makes you look like an ass.
What I further cannot comprehend is there are mainstream bands that are indie. Pardon my French but what the fuck? How is Metric indie? They are signed, labeled, and playing shows at BFD (Live 105.3). And Radiohead, according to myspace the last time I looked, is the most popular indie band. What??? If that isn't an oxymoron I don't know what is. I'm probably just talking out of my ass here but does anyone else get what I'm saying? I feel like I'm on an island here.
Bands like Mike Falzone and the Peppermint Trick that are totally independent but have good vocals, and good guitar, and bass, drums, synth and whatever else I can totally listen to. But if you're listening to a really shitty indie band or "mainstream-indie" bands like Metric just to seem indie, then go jump off a cliff or rid the world of your stupidity in some other way. Remember, there's nothing wrong with good music, but don't listen to anything to appeal to a certain crowd, it just makes you look like an ass.
New Stuff
Two pretty big bands(fan base-wise) recently put new CD's. One I was pretty happy with, the other was pretty disappointing. I'm talking, of course, about Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars. If you like these bands and you aren't just into popular music, you know which one is a disappointment. If you happen to be one of those types, The Resistance is basically a big sell out, it's definitely not the Muse I fell in love with. It sounds way to pop-y and like it was meant for everyone to listen to, and I feel they lost some of their identity as a band. On the other hand, This Is War, by 30 Seconds to Mars, was a good album. Sure it was meant for a bit wider audience, but they advanced and expanded without losing their sound.
When I heard the first single for The Resistance, I was not very impressed. The Uprising sounded like a huge Marilyn Manson knock off. It has huge drums and bass and not as much guitar as the Muse I know experimented with. The keyboard was not traditional muse piano, it was some warbly synth thing. And there was clapping involved! How much cornier can you get.I thought, well maybe they had this depth-less, catchy, song to bring people into the album, this was not the case. The album is littered by all this new heavy drums shit and was totally unlike them, I was a bit shocked. I kept trying to tell myself this is just moving forward, but it never sat well with me, I'm sorry.
Now 30 Second's, they did a very good job. Their single (Kings and Queens), at least I think it was a single, anyways it was the most popular song off the album and had a video and all that jazz, was a good song and the video was pretty amazing. It sounded just a bit like U2, nahhh, it actually sounded very much like a U2 song but it really worked for them, and they put their own influence on it. I could tell it was a 30 Seconds to Mars song before he started singing. This Is War and Night of the Hunter went more back to their roots but with more of a major (as in the key) and brighter sound. All in all it was a pretty good album, nothing disappointing and some good songs. One thing I found odd was the children's choir in the backround of each song.
When I heard the first single for The Resistance, I was not very impressed. The Uprising sounded like a huge Marilyn Manson knock off. It has huge drums and bass and not as much guitar as the Muse I know experimented with. The keyboard was not traditional muse piano, it was some warbly synth thing. And there was clapping involved! How much cornier can you get.I thought, well maybe they had this depth-less, catchy, song to bring people into the album, this was not the case. The album is littered by all this new heavy drums shit and was totally unlike them, I was a bit shocked. I kept trying to tell myself this is just moving forward, but it never sat well with me, I'm sorry.
Now 30 Second's, they did a very good job. Their single (Kings and Queens), at least I think it was a single, anyways it was the most popular song off the album and had a video and all that jazz, was a good song and the video was pretty amazing. It sounded just a bit like U2, nahhh, it actually sounded very much like a U2 song but it really worked for them, and they put their own influence on it. I could tell it was a 30 Seconds to Mars song before he started singing. This Is War and Night of the Hunter went more back to their roots but with more of a major (as in the key) and brighter sound. All in all it was a pretty good album, nothing disappointing and some good songs. One thing I found odd was the children's choir in the backround of each song.
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