Watching the documentary made me realize the prejudice on Latinx community within America’s police and prison systems. I liked how the documentary was formatted in describing which American event and how that event triggered the prejudice the Latinx community started experiencing to present day. The interviews included here and there when describing the history was a nice addition to the film that not only gave a new perspective on the history mentioned but also added emotions to these events in history. I was also reminded of a concept I had frequently heard about: expecting police to give out a certain number of tickets within a time frame. Since police are forced to hand out tickets despite people doing no harm, police tend to target the Latinx and Black community, seeing them as “easy targets”. To see that such a practice is still being done today only emphasizes how progress and work needs to continue to dismantle the bias against the Latinx community in America’s police and prison systems.
Author Archives: le94
Preserve the Forest
Watching the Forest episode in the Our Planet series made me fall in love and appreciate what mother nature has to offer. Having watched the Coastal Seas episode in the series and really enjoyed it, I was looking forward to looking the Forest episodes one. More specifically, I was really impressed and in awed with the beautiful scenes in the Coastal Seas episode and was really happy the scenes in this Forest episode also did not disappoint. This episode only reminded me how each living organism has an important contribution to the ecosystem. I was amazed by how intertwine the animals in the forest allow the forest to grow beautifully. Towards the end of the episode, I really liked how the Chernobyl disaster was brought up, as someone who has also been watching the Chernobyl miniseries. It was sad to see that despite the growing plants that seem to have overtaken some of the abandoned parts of the city, there is still a lot of radiation concentrated in the area that makes the area still unsafe, even for forest animals. Seeing how vibrant the forest can be makes me want to preserve its beauty and hope that the world places more emphasis and concern on climate change.
To Be Discredited Despite Helping
I was really happy to see that for this week’s Friday’s Film, the last two episodes of Chernobyl were going to play. Having seen episodes 2 and 3, I was really looking forward to finishing the miniseries. Although episodes 4 and 5 were less action filled compared to the previous episodes, I think the last two episodes really highlighted important themes of this tragic event. For example, when Legasov admitted to lying in his first testimony in Vienna when detained by the KBG, he is informed that all of his efforts in helping with the aftermath of Chernobyl will not be acknowledge by the state, no longer allowed to speak about Chernobyl, and be nameless. This conversation really reflects the whole Soviet Union’s attitude towards this tragic event: to downplay the severity event to prevent the world from thinking the country is weak. Another point in our group conversation that I found interesting was the relationship of mixing politics (subjective topic) and science (objective topic). In fact, seeing how the scientists were constantly struggling to report the whole truth on the state of the disaster or to sugar-coat the truth to please politicians as well as Legasov’s words at the end of episode 5 brought attention this straining relationship.
Losing Loved Ones One By One
After watching First Man, I have more appreciation and respect for those who pursue to become astronauts. Neil’s story shows that his journey is far from smooth and that he overcame many challenges to experience the sweet taste of success. More specifically, having so many of Neil Armstrong’s loved ones pass away, especially in critical moments of his life (i.e. preparing for a mission), Armstrong managed to hold through and accomplish being the first man on the moon. I especially thought the moment he dropped Karen’s bracelet in the Little West crater was touching. However, I did find it ironic that Neil seemed to be very emotionally affected by the his loved ones’ passing but while preparing for Apollo 11 he seemed very occupied with his preparation that he at some points neglected and pushed away his family members. Overall, I really enjoyed the film and got to know Neil as more than the first astronaut to step on the moon.
Chernobyl: Episode 3 — Character Changes and Roles
Compared to the 2nd episode, the 3rd episode of Chernobyl was less intense and had a more sorrow tone throughout the episode. Legasov and Khomyuk seemed to have a better understanding of the state of the explosion and know what measures need to be taken to prevent as little radiation and damage as possible. Boris seems to be back to his old self of reassuring everyone that “everything is under control” as seen from his speech in the conference with Gorbechav and other officials. Legasov, on the other hand, is now seen in some scenes withholding information from the general public, such as asking Boris if he should be transparent with the coal mine chief and his speech during the conference with Gorbechav in other officials. Although the story of Ignatenko and her husband makes the whole situation more personal in that she represents the many people who have loved ones that were first responders, their story also seems to be a separate plot/entity that makes me question how Ignatenko is going to play a role in the rest of the show.
Evolving Taste in Music
Joining the Rose Playlist event was something I really needed after having a stressful week. Listening to the different songs and anticipating what type of genre or melody would play next, I realized how my attitude and perspective on music has changed a lot since elementary school. For example, I remember how in elementary and middle school, I would often turn on the radio to a local radio station and jam to the latest trending pop song (“Airplanes” by B.O.B feat. Hayley Williams reminded me of this memory) and singing along as I simultaneously did my homework. As I grow older, I find myself gravitated towards music with no lyrics (such as classic jazz music or Beethoven’s symphonies) that would improve my studying, as I find music with lyrics now to be distracting. Now that I am older, I also find myself trying to figure out the structure of the song: identifying the chorus and bridge of a song. Overall, I had a great experience listening to a variety of different songs.
Chernobyl Ep 2: No More Covering
I had a really great time watching the second episode of Chernobyl and look forward to attending the event for the third episode. As someone who did not watch the first episode, I was still able to easily pick up on the plot with the help of my friend (who happened to watch with me and had some background knowledge about the accident). Something that struck with me is the character change of General Boris. In the beginning of the episode, you could see that General Boris is trying to downplay the severity of the explosion, rushing to have the meeting adjourned. However, as the episode progresses, General Boris realizes the severity of the explosion after visiting the site and is informed how many years people are expected to live if they continue to allow the citizens to stay. When General Boris got the call about many neighboring countries finding out about the explosion (from the high levels of radiation), there was nothing General Boris had left to hide. Although I can see why General Boris tried to downplay the explosion (to not only avoid negative media attention to the Soviet Union but to also not make citizens panic), I believe that it is always best to be transparent to the people at the end of the day. More specifically, I was shocked by how Professor Legasov also chose to lie about how the people should not be worried about anything when he went to the bar while he was holding General Boris into account moments before about not evacuating the citizens. Overall, it was good that General Boris and Professor Legasov were on the same page (goal is to save the people and prevent as much radiation from emitting as possible) by the end of the episode, but there delay and lack of quick response might be too late.
Keeping in Touch with Loved Ones
After signing up for the card making kit, I was nervous for the event. More specifically, I am the exact opposite of a creative person; I liked organization and structure. Seeing how I had to make a card from scratch was intimidating: I had been so used to buying the store-bought cards. Since the Chinese holiday of the Mooncake Festival (where family members gather together and admire the full, bright moon) is soon approaching, I decided to make a card to send to my family back home. I drew a moon cake, a common food item seen on the table to celebrate the holiday and one of my favorite treats is moon cake, as well as the bright, full moon in the front to show that we are all united and connected by seeing the same moon. I plan to write in the card and mail it just in time for the holiday! Another idea that came in my mind is making a card for my friend back home whose birthday is coming up. I drew a birthday cake in the front, balloons, confetti, and added some of the small flower decorations to the corners of the card for the final touch. The last card I got the chance make is for my relatives who live in Hong Kong. With a 12-hour time difference, it can be hard sometimes to find a convenient time to video chat with them. I plan on writing on my recent updates and ask how they are doing in this pandemic. Overall, I had a fun time making the cards with the lovely music provided by GRF Seema and realized that it is okay to have simple looking cards and that it is the thought and effort that really makes a card special.