Thursday, February 9, 2012

An't Scared of Your Jails

Overall, what the students in the film accomplished was truly amazing. Being able to stand up for what is right and physically take a beating at a lunch counter is something I don't think many adults would be able to do, let alone a bunch of college students. I love how in the film one of the students said, "Going to the jail was a badge of honor. I felt like I was joining a holy crusade." People think of going to jail as horrible, yet these students embraced it and felt as if jail was a symbol that they were doing something right. Also what stuck out at me in the film was Mayor Ben West of Nashville. He had some nerve to denounce discrimination, considering he was not only white, but the mayor of a Southern city. Politicians nowadays would never have the courage to make a bold move like that.

5 comments:

  1. Christian, thanks for getting us started! I like your quote, and if you want to fix the signal phrase the source is John Lewis, who was a college student at that time and involved in the Freedom Rides.

    Just FYI, he became a state senator at some point in his life for Georgia. He's a remarkable person.

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  2. I really like that quote. This actually takes me back to when I was middle school and the principle of the elementary that i attended was getting fired for some dumb reason. My class mates and the classes below us held a sit in in our gym during the lunch hour. Our principle was like a best friend when we were in elementary. He made it his obligation if you will, to get to know every single one of his students and build a friendship with them. He took time out of his day to come into the class room and hangout with his students and we found out he was getting fired, our hearts were broken. Once teachers found out what we were doing they all came to the gym with the principle and they told us that if we didn't return to class they were going to start handing out detentions. I didn't have the courage to stay but a lot of my class mates stay and the next couple days, the lunch room was full for after school detentions, some parents of the class mates came in with them and served the detention with them. That to me was something worth standing up for, I just wish I had the courage to stay at the sit in...

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  3. I have to agree with you on the people who went to jail. They expected it in a way but what made it so strong is they were willing to face any discriminations or consequences.

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  4. I totally agree of how remarkable those college students were. They were fearless; plain and simple. Nowadays, people are more scared of the consequences that they will receive rather than thinking of the positive end result. The quote that you used is a good example as the student's attitudes of that time.

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  5. I agree 100% that Mayor West had some nerve to anounce that and that there is no way you would hear that today

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