Leo Cassel-Siskind Public Feed
Tableau Group 4
Advanced Essay #3: Fractured Americ
Politics in the United States has changed a lot over the last few decades. In the past, Democrats and Republicans have been able to come together and pass laws to improve our country. However, now that is very rare, with a party often needing to control the White House and both houses of Congress to pass meaningful legislation. As our politics grow more divided more divided so has the nation’s identity. We are being pulled apart from each other by dramatic ideological differences between the major parties and political language that is divisive and disrespectful.
The bases of the two major political parties are as far apart from each other on policy issues as they’ve been in the last hundred years. For the last 23 years, Pew Research has conducted polling to seek the opinions of the two major political parties on several basic policy issues such as the role of government and environmental policy, among others. When they first started conducting the poll there was an average difference of 15% between how the two parties thought of these issues. (Taylor) Now, the difference between the two parties is a whopping 36%. (Taylor) These differences have led to a lack of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill. In recent years both parties have passed bills without the support of a single member of the other party voting for it, such as the Affordable Care Act in 2010 or the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. This leads to disappointment and anger among the minority who feel that their views are not being heard by the rest of the country. These feelings, often aimed at the majority party, has led to an ever-rising tension between the two parties.
One of the greatest things pulling people apart are the social differences between the two political parties. Take race, for example. According to additional Pew research, 75% of Republicans believe that “blacks who can’t get ahead in this country are mostly responsible for their own conditions.” (Taylor) Only 28% of Democrats share that viewpoint (Taylor). In addition, while only 13% of Democrats think homosexuality should be discouraged, 37% of Republicans believed it should be. (Taylor) The differences between the parties are even greater on opinions about gay marraige. Similar divisions exist on issues related to immigrants, poor people, and an assortment of other issues. As a consequence, given that Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress, a number of groups scorned by many Republicans feel excluded and ostracized.
The language used by elected officials and candidates has also served to pull our country apart. During the 2016 campaign, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that half of all Trump supporters were deplorables. Meanwhile, the Republican Donald Trump has taken offensive statements to a whole new level, most recently blaming the FBI for the mass shooting at a Florida school, because they had devoted too many resources to investigating his ties to Russia (Twitter). During the campaign, a video surfaced of him bragging about sexually assaulting women, and at various times he has made numerous statements that have offended African Americans, Latinos, immigrants, and Muslims. We’ve gotten used to these statements, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t further divide us. Every time Donald Trump or someone else takes to Twitter, it riles people up, causing clashes between their supporters and those who find what they said wildly offensive.
A difficult characteristic of our divisive politics is the increasing dislike for those with whom we disagree. A plurality of both Democrats and Republicans (44 and 45 percent, respectively) said they dislike those who are members of the other party. Only 14% of Republicans and 9% of Democrats said that they had many friends from the other party. From these statistics, it is clear that there is more than just an ideological divide between the parties, but a social one as well. Democrats and Republicans tend to stick to themselves, but when we don’t associate ourselves with those whom we disagree with it become difficult to find compromises and repair the relationship between the two groups.
In the last decade, politics has become the most dividing issue in our country. As the parties’ voters continue to be further divided and candidates and politicians continue to launch verbal attacks on each other, it is likely that these trends will continue. Americans will become more and more divided, the number of people who say that they dislike members of the other party will rise, and people will continue to feel as though they don’t belong in their communities.
Taylor, Jessica. “Republicans And Democrats Don't Agree, Or Like Each Other - And It's Worse Than Ever.” NPR, NPR, 5 Oct. 2017, www.npr.org/2017/10/05/555685136/republicans-and-democrats-dont-agree-dont-like-each-other-and-its-worst-than-eve.
Vavreck, Lynn. “The Great Political Divide Over American Identity.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/upshot/the-great-political-divide-over-american-identity.html.
Advanced Essay 2- The Difference In Our Words
My paper is about the ways in which we speak differently around certain people and why. I hope to shed light on how society has expectations for how we act in public and how we bend those unspoken recommendations around the people with whom we are closest. I am proud of how I believe I gave people an insight to who I am as well as what I believe is expected from me. I wish that I had included examples of how I deviate from societal norms with my friends in addition to just my family.
The Difference In Our Words
I change how I communicate when I interact with different groups of people. In particular, I speak differently. I change what I say, when I say it, and how I say it. This is true for most people, because we learn when it’s important to follow societal norms and when it’s acceptable to push those boundaries.
Cursing is something that most people do only in particular circumstances. While I am the same way, unlike many others I curse around my parents, who are mostly ok with it as long as I do it with a smile on my face so that they know I’m not serious or angry. Many other times, though, I know to hold my tongue and speak properly and with decorum.
Back in September, my Dad and I were at our friend’s house watching the Eagles game. As school had just begun, the group -- mostly made up of forty-something year-old Dads -- was discussing the pleasures of kids being back in school.
The host explained, “It’s nice to have them in bed at a reasonable hour. All summer, they were just banging around the house at all hours of the night.”
My Dad, sarcastically pretending that I wasn’t sitting right next to him, stated, “It’s amazing to have Leo back in school. I believe we had more than enough time to bond this summer.”
My response was already at the tip of my tongue. It would have been so natural, and so satisfying, to have released the words, “Fuck off.” It wouldn’t have been anywhere near the first time that I had said it, and I don’t believe that’s a bad thing. As Robert Klein explains, “I’m not against profanity. It’s an important part of the language when used properly.” Cursing is not just a way to express anger towards someone, but a way to strengthen a bond between people and to add humor. While I would have been comfortable saying these words to him with a smile if it were just the two of us, I restrained myself due to our present company. Some people might not have understood my sarcasm and would have taken it as me not respecting my Dad. Society creates expectations about how we are to act, and while we all strive to be our authentic selves, we also have to learn about the importance of operating inside society’s norms and therefore when and to what extent we should express ourselves in different ways sometimes.
Jokes are one of my favorite ways to express myself, but I have to be careful about what I say depending on to whom I’m talking. There is a fine line between what is funny and what is considered offensive. Many times it is hard to know where that line is, because it is different for each person based on how well we know each other.
For the last five years I have only rarely called my sister by her name Rebecca. Instead, I call her Tubby Bear Junior or some variation of it such as TBJ, Tubs, or Junior. Now while the Bear and Junior parts of her nickname are acceptable for all audiences, Tubby is a name that refers to someone who is overweight, which in a nickname would normally be thought of as derogatory. In this case, though, due to my closeness with my sister and our common understanding that not only is she not fat but in fact is fit and athletic, the nickname is just an ironic joke. It reflects how close we are to each other.
This is the type of joke that you can only make to someone with whom you are very close. I would never call any of my friends by a nickname that referred to them as overweight or anything related to body image, which can be such a sensitive topic. But with my sister it is ok because she is in on the joke and interprets it as the affectionate nickname that it is.
Just like many other people, I conform to society’s norms most of the time. The only times that I feel comfortable stepping outside what is considered typical is when I’m with people that I am very close with and who know my personality. It is not typical for a child to curse in front of his parents or to have a nickname for someone that contains derogatory language, but due to the bond I have with my family and also with my closest friends I am able to push society’s communication norms with that limited group of people. Pushing these norms not only allows me to express myself in the way I sometimes like to, but it also helps create and strengthen the bonds I have with these people.
“Robert Klein Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robert_klein_678411.
Embracing Tomorrow
E2 U6 Leo Cassel-Siskind, Ashton Reigner, Caroline Pitone, and Imani Murray
Yemaya
Había una vez, un joven que se llamó Yemaya. Ella era muy bonita y le encantaba nadar. Ella y todas las cosas que fueron vividos, fueron controlado de una orisha que se llamó Obatala. Él se fue como un padre. Cada día, dio tiempo a ver a las personas de la comunidad, al menos en tierra. Cuando ellos fueron en el agua, fueron en su propia.
Un día, Yemaya fue caminando en la calle con una falda bonita, y un hombre se acercó, que parece muy rico, con su vestido muy fresco. Él le dio un poco de perfume. Yemaya estaba soprendida, pero aceptó el regalo. El día después, con el perfume encima de su piel, se vio el hombre otra vez. Él le dio una falda azul y blanco con volantes. Para el resto de la semana, Yemaya vio el hombre, y él le dio una sorpresa cada dia.
Por el septimo dia, ella decidió a seguir el hombre. Después de caminar detras de él por unos minutos, él se convirtió en un callejón. Él tenía una túnica roja, blanco, y morado. Él estaba encima del aire, flotando. Él fue cerca a Yemaya. “Yemaya, esta ultima semana, yo observé a tu belleza. Por los últimos años, yo estaba buscando a una compañera. Alguien para mirar al mar cuando yo estoy mirando al tierra.”
“Tu eres Obatalá?”
“Si”
Yemaya estaba muy contenta que iba un candidato para ser una orisha, y una gorbernante del agua encima del agua. Pero Obatala no fue convencido. Él dijo que él va a continuar a ver a ella y vas a volver. Dos años fueron pasados y Yemaya no oyó nada. Ella estaba muy triste en resultados y intentó a olvidar, asumiendo que Obatala no va a volver otra vez. Una dia, ella fue a su casa para ver a los siete sorpresas que Obatala le dio.
“Le dio que me voy a revolver.”
"Tuve que tomar algún tiempo para decidir, pero creo que eres la mejor persona para ser mi esposa, mi pareja, y el Orisha del mar."
Yemaya fue muy contenta que fue acceptada. Yemaya y él fueron para siempre y tenían muchos niños que ser criaron como Orishas.
Mural de Leo
Me gusta Fairmount. De hecho mi amor Fairmount. Es verde. En vez de ser ruidoso, Fairmount es silencioso. O sea es pacífico. En mi barrio no es el graffiti y el vandalismo. Solamente hay unos murales en la comunidad. Es el mural de la gente bailando en la calle. La comunidad tiene muchos parques y también pequeño el delito. No obstante el Lemon Hill se utilizó como la barrera en los revolution. En fin, mi barrio es una comunidad excelente para vivir.
Mi mural está en la calle de Aspen y veinte cuatro. Es de sera chicos correinco en las parques. El propósito del mural es mostrar niños y niñas el propósito de ejercicio. Este rincón está pasar de los chicos y chicas. Pueden aprender y divertirse a causa de no pueden siempre.
El propósito del mural es demonstrar niños y niñas el propósito de ejercicio. Además la mural mostrará los chicos corriendo corretear y jugando deportes. El papel sobre el mural es simbolizar la importancia de la felicidad. O sea la felicidad es la juventud. En juventud tú son capaces de corretear y que es la felicidad. Hay parques en la Fairmount y los chicó necesidad de conocer la infancia no es duran para siempre. Este es la final momento de divertirse. La esperanza las imágenes simbolizar la felicidad por los niños y las niñas.
Mi imagenes con éxito la purposto de arte público. Es representar la felicidad por los chicos y para mi es decir la propositio de arte público. Para mi de mi el diseño es perfecto. Ayudara los chicos. En vez de el delito los chicos pueden divertirse. La designa representar que ocurre cuando tu relaxar. Los colores es vivo captar la atención. Los chico no se dan cuento mucho. Asi que los colores son vivo para captar la atención.
Pancho Villa Leo y Caroline
Pancho Villa
Una oda a Pancho Villa.
Pancho Villa fue muy inteligente, mas grande que vida, y popular.
Cuando yo te veo, me piensa que tiene mucha poder.
Me haces emocionado y orgulloso.
Tu, mi sorprendido.
El Mural
Puerto Rican Statue of Liberty por Dietrich Adonis, Carlos Vasquez, Glenn Hill
E2 U1
E1U8 Leo, Marcin, Julia
Barcelona, Spain
Marcin: ¡Hola amigos! ¿Qué vas a hacer después?
Leo: Voy a estar de vago. ¿Y tú Marcin?
Marcin: ¡Voy a viajar!
Julia: ¿Adonde vas?
Marcin: Barcelona, España. ¿Y tú, Julia? ¿Qué vas a hacer después?
Julia: Voy a ver las atracciones.
Marcin: ¡Qué interesante! Hay muchos museos en Barcelona.
Leo: ¿Qué vas a hacer mañana?
Marcin: Estar de vago.
Julia: Hay un jugar de fútbol después. ¿Quierés ir?
Leo: ¡Claro qué sí!
Marcin: ¡Absolutamente!
Leo: ¿Cómo llegamos allí?
Julia: ¿Por tren?
Marcin: Sí. ¿Dónde está un estación de tren?
Leo: Carrer del Rector Triadó. En Avenue de Roma.
Julia: ¿Qué es el estadio de fútbol?
Leo: Camp Nou.
Marcin: ¿A qué hora es que en?
Leo: Son las dos en punto.
Julia: ¿Qué debemos usar?
Leo: ¿Jerseys, posiblemente?
Julia: Bueno. Qué bueno Yo recéin compré un jersey.
Marcin: ¿Que hora son?
Julia: Son las doce y media.
Leo: Bueno, nosotros tenemos hora. ¿Qué ustedes querer algo mientras nosotros espera?
Marcin: Tengo hambre. ¿Tienen almorzar conmigo?
Leo: Seguro. ¿Dónde está el restaurante más cercana?
Julia: Él está tres manzanas desde aquí.
Leo: Bueno ¡Vamos!
(Cuarto horas más tarde)
Julia: Eso estar divertido. ¿Debemos pasar con cada otro mañana?
Marcin: ¡Claro qué sí! Nosotros debemos pasar con cada otro más frecuentemente.
Leo: Yo esto de acuerdo. Nosotros debemos absolutamente. ¡Hasta luego!
Julia and Marcin: ¡Hasta luego! ¡Adios!
E1 U5 Hijo de las Américas
Leo Cassel-Siskind
Soy yo
El hijo de padres Américano
Legalmente
Una hermana
Producto de Filadelfia
Estoy aquí para siempre
Yo veo mi familia de alemania
Yo oigo mi hermana gritando
Yo huelo East Hampton todo el siempre
Yo saboreo el fin de la acción de gracias
Yo toco el béisbol
Necesito el béisbol
Yo escapo a la playa, de la ciudad
Yo hablo fútbol
Mi familia vino en barcos a las Américas
Somos productos de America
Somos Americanos
Hablamos inglés
Le lengua de la hamburguesas y perritos calientes.
No somos europeos. No somos de Europa.
No somos alemans. Alemania está en nosotros. Pero allí no tengo hogar
Mi familia y yo estamos en las encrucijadas
Y somos completo.Becoming Macbeth- Leo Cassel-Siskind, Raymond Rochester, and Brendan Hall
Our group made a game about Macbeth’s life. In the game you become Macbeth and make the decisions we saw he had to make in the story for him. You begin the game by reading the first scenario and question and then choosing one of the answers. Each answer will be a link to a new slide where you will read another scenario and answer another question. Eventually you will reach a point where you win and stay king forever or die and someone else becomes king.
The reason we made a game like this was so everyone could have a fun interesting experience where you get to become Macbeth. It’s a unique experience to try to make the decisions that Macbeth had to make. While many people in the class were saying that the decisions Macbeth was making were stupid now they have the chance to be put into the same scenario with one major goal and the odds strongly against them like they were for Macbeth.
While we made a way that you could make the decisions Macbeth did there are also many ways to select a new approach in an effort to become king. One of the major things you could do began from the first question you see; do you take the witches seriously? Should you select no you have taken a whole different course than Macbeth and the questions you are asked are different. Instead of following a Macbeth approach where you can decide to kill the king and you focus much more on Malcolm, because he becomes king (as his father of course made him heir). You focus on becoming his prince so that you eventually take over and you also get the option at a point of killing him as to become king. All the things that took place here are what we expect would happen had Macbeth made this decision.
If you take the witches seriously it becomes a lot more straightforward. You can decide if you should kill the king or wait for fate (just like Macbeth did in the story). If you decide to kill the king you can second guess yourself like Macbeth did for a little bit or just be tough and kill the king. Then should you kill the king you move on to Banquo and you must decide if it is necessary that he be killed. He could be your best friend, but he could also be a threat. The next thing that will come up is Macduff. He doesn’t attend your celebration as well and you have to decide if he should be killed. If you don’t he goes off to England to find Malcolm and comes back to fight you. Finally you have the choice of whether or not to help your people. If you don’t, everyone hates you even more than they already do and turn on you. If you do help them they rise up and beat England. This entire part is similar to the book and should you stray from what Macbeth does the results are very predictable.
The entire game can take between three and ten questions depending on your choices. Normally it will be somewhere in the middle. The odds of winning are very low, because Macbeth’s odds at becoming king and remaining king are very low. We also wanted to include a reward. Should the class win the game when we present, our group will bring in some prize (dessert) to be handed out the next day or two days later at lunch. The final thing we wanted to do was make a video around each scenario for the classes entertainment and to enhance our overall project.
My partners pages:
Brendan
E1U3 La Base Robada Leo, Jason, Leah, Justin
My Digital Media Reflection
Leo Cassel-Siskind
In class we have been watching Digital Nation. It is about how all humans and teenagers in particular are online so much more than they used to be that being online is becoming a new lifestyle. The most scariest thing I viewed was about how people were chatting each other and encouraging each other to kill each other. There was even a website you could go to for the best place to kill yourself. It’s important to learn about things like this because it helps us protect ourselves online and helps us understand what we are doing online. If I was a parent I would make sure that I could see what my family was doing online whether talking to friends or posting pictures on social media. It’s important to do this so that in case someone is bullying my kids I can see that’s happening and help them out. Parents today who grew up without all of these things need to keep track of all the things their kids are doing online even though it may annoy them. Being online can be dangerous and they need to be protected.