Give your paper a title
750 words minimum (type the final word count under your name on your paper)
6 paragraphs minimum – be sure to have an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph
FOR 24 HOURS ONLY, you will walk in a different pair of socio-political shoes. You can give yourself more socio-political power (privilege) or less socio-political power (privilege), it’s your choice. Remember, you are still the same person, with the same talents, abilities, education, skills, etc. You have the same family and friends – unless they dump you. In the main, you simply look different than yesterday—if your body type changes to an extreme degree, you might have less (or more) physical ability or appeal to others in the wider society. With these changes, will the world treat the altered you with more respect or less? Explain why this would be so.
CHANGING YOUR POLITICAL PROFILE – ONE DAY IN YOUR ALTERED LIFE
FOLLOW THE FORMAT PRECISELY
Put a space between each paragraph
Watch the films:
“A Class Divided” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mcCLm_LwpE
“Black Like Me” https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7zj7rl
In Paragraph No. 1 – summarize the ‘A Class Divided.’ then give your responses to it. Be sure to include commentary on all three segments of the film: the third-grade classroom, the prison classroom, and the workshop training for the correctional officers. Did the responses of any of the participants surprise you? Why or why not? Be specific.
Paragraph No. 2 summarize ‘Black Like Me.’ It’s based on a true story. If Griffin were to repeat his social experiment today, do you think that it would be significantly different or has little changed? Take a position on this, then select at least two scenes from the film to support your position.
Paragraph No. 3 – Who are you today? To establish a baseline profile for comparison for the next section, describe yourself. YOU NEED TO DESCRIBE IN DETAIL THE REAL, ACTUAL, YOU AS YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. Do not make this up. I need to know who you are, the real and actual you, before I can understand the changes you make.
IN BETWEEN Paragraph No. 3 and Paragraph No. 4, bullet-point and list the changes from at least 4 different categories on the list below (if you put four things about body configuration, for example: eye color, height, hair, IQ, mental/physical ability – these only count as one because they are all from the same category)
John Griffin only ‘changed’ his race. You can make changes from all 8 categories, if you like. You need to list the category and the specific change
Using this terminology, put your changes in a list that looks like this:Change 1 – (category) from what to what?Change 2 – (category) from what to what?Change 3 – (category) from what to what?Change 4 – (category) from what to what?
Examples: Change 1: Race, white to black (do not put light skin to dark, which could be a sun tan and is not acceptable ––you need to be racially specific)
Change 2: Body configuration, 5’5” to 6’5” (short to tall is not acceptable; be specific on the measurement of change or it won’t count, and your grade will go down)
Pick at least 4 of these 8 political markers:
Race
Class
Gender/sexual orientation
Religion
Body configuration
Age
Political party
Immigration status
CONTINUE DOWN THE LIST FOR AT LEAST 4 CHANGES
Next, starting in paragraph three, after you have completed the minimum of four bullet-pointed changes. continue now in paragraph form and describe a 24-hour day in your new life. To get you started, think about these and other things:Will you receive more respect from your family or less?As you go about your day, will people in society give your more respect or less respect? Or the same?Are you perceived to have more influence or less?Are you perceived to have more leadership capabilities or less?Where will you be welcome? Where will you not be welcome?What relationships (family/friends/neighbors) might change?How might a job interview go?Would it be easier or more difficult to get a date?Would it be easier or harder in your place of work?Would shopping at the mall be different?Or going out to a restaurant?Or buying a car?Or getting an apartment?Or getting a taxi?Or getting help if your car broke down?Or getting assistance in a retail store?Or you more or less likely to get pulled over in a car? Or no difference?
Will the changes you made be an overall socio-political advantage or a disadvantage? Explain why. You are, after all, the same person. Shouldn’t the ‘new’ you get the same treatment as the ‘old’ you? If not, why not? Give lots of examples. You’re still you. From the time you get up and have breakfast to the time you brush your teeth and go to bed, what would change?
You must have a concluding paragraph that wraps up your 24-hour ‘experience’
THIS IS NOT A CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT
This exercise is designed to make you think of what life would be like if your political profile were suddenly different. On paper, you are following in John Griffin’s social/political footsteps. Just like the students in Jane Elliot’s class, you are the same person. You are still you on the inside. Only the perception of your exterior –– and the power and privilege it brings –– has changed.
Consider your life if you woke up tomorrow morning with:A different ethnicityA big change in your bank account (say a zero balance or a $1 million balance)A different sex/gender (gay, straight, transgender, etc.)A different religion (a new one, or becoming atheist, etc.)A radical body change (i.e.: height, weight, disability, mega brain power, tattoos, etc.)A significant change to your age (much older or younger)A different party affiliation (Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Communist, etc.)
What would your 24-hour experience be like? Would you like it, or hate it, or some of both?
