02/03/2025                                                                                                                                                     Krista Kurt

ENG 201-04                                   

Journal Entry #1: What Does Justice Mean to You?

                Justice is supposed to be fairness, equality and holding wrongful acts against humanity accountable. Justice is a concept that seems to have been lost by most present leaders and governments especially the corrupt United States. For some reason our “Department of Justice” is sitting back watching Donald Trump perform a coup and assault democracy, yet no one seems to be alarmed or have any intention of stopping it. How does a President get impeached twice, get convicted of a felony like Adolf Hitler and still manage to be eligible for Presidency in America? The criminal justice system has currently been used as a gaslighting tool against minorities and as an excuse to militarize police. We are ants being crushed under a capitalist oligarch ruled by old grasshoppers with erectile dysfunction who would literally rather destroy the world than watch people who are not white succeed or have equality. It seems our current administration wants to weaponize “justice” to harm every demographic who isn’t a hetero white male. They want to commit genocide under the guise of “justice’. They will do anything before they ever do the right thing. So, what is justice? Justice would be getting the guillotines ready like the French had done once before. Now that’s some history I wouldn’t mind seeing repeated.

02/05/2025                                                                                                                                     Krista Kurt

ENG 201-04

                                                Journal Entry #2: Young Lords & Black Panther’s

                Both the 10-Point Program and 13-Point Program written by the Black Panthers and Young Lords had the same theme centered around liberation, equality and justice for black and brown communities. The 10-Point Program was more focused on the injustices committed against the Black community by the United States government while the 13-Point Program was written by Puerto Ricans and focused on liberation for Latin, Black, Asian and other oppressed communities. They were both effectively written as a clear layout plan of reasonable demands for their communities and why they should be honored under the law. Both documents emphasize the importance of self-governed education not meddled with by white supremacy, self-governed health care, protection for their people from serving in the American military due to the racist history of this country, having the Black and Latin communities control their own labor and means of production and overall liberation for their own communities from oppressive white supremacist rule. These two documents are very similar, almost parallel since the Young Lords and Black Panthers had most of the same exact points.

                If I were to write a version for political justice today it would probably be almost identical to what the Black Panthers and Young Lords wrote honestly. I agree with every point in both documents and feel a lot of them have not still been honored in present times. However, if I were to add my own points I would probably include more about women’s rights and protections specifically. Not to say Bobby Seale and Huey Newton were sexists but I did read Eldridge Cleaver’s statements from his autobiography admitting to raping black women to practice for raping white women. Obviously not every Black Panther had this ideology, and I guess there is always a “bad apple” in every bunch however misogynoir is still very rampant today. Respectfully the number cause of death for Black women right now is their own men. I feel like the Black Panthers put more emphasis on racism without really addressing sexism or making it seem important to their cause. I believe that is because most men, even ones who fight for social justice, still inherently want to control women for their own benefit. The Young Lords specifically made a point in their program that denounced male chauvinism and toxic masculinity which is something the 10-Point Program lacked.

                In our society since Mesopotamia or earlier, women have been considered currency and capital. Even the most well-respected innovative men in our communities have been guilty of misogyny and degradation to women. Abusing women to this day is embedded deep in our culture since the foundations required for capitalism to thrive are racism and sexism. I honestly can’t think of any specific points to make it would take me carefully analyzing the current laws for accuracy to make sure what I include in the document is relevant and realistic. For example, I wouldn’t be vague and simply include a point that “women have the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare” because due to the current polarization of varying laws in the country it would then be argued that “abortion is legal women can still get abortions”. Which this is both true and false because yes in my state of New York I can currently still get access to abortions however there are many women across the United States currently dying due to these legal technicalities revolving around fetuses and conception. I would want to be more educated in research in the current confusing laws of each state so I can make a well thought accurate set of points so it will not only make sense but also be taken seriously and stand up to any legal argument or dispute by opposition.

 Overall, my “10/13-Point Program” would include a lot of the same exact points that the Black Panthers and the Young Lords already made but I would go a step further to focus on the rights of women and children in each state. I would focus on misogyny, misogynoir, the lack of rights to autonomy that many children should have and just children’s rights in general since children have no rights currently and are considered property of the parent(s). The Black Panthers and Young Lords were well versed in the law and had all their ducks in a row when they wrote out their demands. I would imitate the careful wording to be observed under the law and taken seriously by the United States government. Nonetheless, there are still many points made in both documents that to this day the United States government failed to fulfill. These documents were made in the 1960s-1970 where revolution and civil rights were most Americans top priority. Unfortunately, after the civil rights movement in the 70s came Neoliberal capitalism, which is what we currently have today and can be argued that this oppressive oligarch capitalist system reversed a lot of progress that seemed to be made in the 60s- which depresses me. It depresses me to see how the American citizens have become so far removed and entrenched in colonialism and imperialism since the Black Panthers and Young Lords wrote these documents. We need the Black Panthers and Young Lords right now.

 02/07/2025                                                                                                                                                    Krista Kurt

ENG 201-04

                                    Journal Entry 3: Claudia De La Cruz Vs Donald Trump

I actually wanted to vote for Claudia De La Cruz but this election was too important and dangerous to take that chance. She was obviously the best candidate for the presidency in my opinion however, third-party candidates don’t make a lot of treadway in American elections. Unlike in other countries where each percentage of votes per party allow a certain number of delegates from each party to be represented in their government, the United States is still very much a bipartisan system of “winner takes all”. In other words, voting for a third-party candidate in American president elections only tends to take votes away from the main political parties, The Democrats and The Republicans. I knew Donald Trump’s administration would be a cross between the Nazis of 1933 Germany and the current Taliban fascist regime over Afghanistan so although I would’ve preferred Claudia, I knew this election was too important to risk voting for anyone but Kamala Harris. Hopefully in the future after we experience enough disaster and suffering under this current Trump administration, people will finally be more open to voting for third-party candidates.

                After listening to both videos it was evident that Claudia’s argument was a call to action against neoliberal policies that are the main cause of hardship for majority of American citizens. Opposite to Trump, she argued that immigrants are not the cause of a loss of housing for Americans nor a loss of jobs since immigrants are not the ones who control real estate prices like banks do, they don’t control rent prices the way landlords do and they don’t control majority of residential property in the private corporate sector as a billionaire investor does. With this statement alone she pointed out that immigrants are not the cause for Americans woes but the obvious culprit of this dog-eat-dog world we have is capitalism.

 Trump’s rhetoric took the opposite approach. His speech was simplistic yet persuasive, inciting a lot of emotions out of his intended audience, which the main one being fear. As a businessman and salesperson Trump knows that to get the deal, the way you made your client feel is more important than whatever it is you’re selling.  Fear is a powerful emotion that can cloud judgement by activating the emotional threat detection response in the amygdala and shutting off the frontal lobe. When a person is in a state of fear, they may not make the most rational choices and be more impulsive based on the perceived heightened threat that their brain is being distracted by. Trump utilized fear as a main tool against his audience by preying on white mediocrity and the white working-class feelings of inadequacies, fear of losing jobs that they were never going to work in the first place and preying on their inherent racial biases. It wasn’t an argument based in facts but more of a sales pitch to convince his audience that somehow getting rid of immigrants will solve all their problems. Instead of addressing that capitalism is the main cause for the white working-class unemployment rate, he deflected and scapegoated immigrants since he is a billionaire who vehemently enjoys capitalism. Another reason his rhetoric is so powerful is because he had a show called “The Apprentice” and is also a wealthy “successful” real estate mogul. Based on this, his audience foolishly drinks the Kool-Aid and believes that Trump will be able to provide more jobs.

A major point Claudia made that debunks the conservatives lies about immigrants is that the reason we have people coming here as refugees is because of American imperialism and warfare caused by the United States in their countries. America creates refugees so of course as a form of reparations it is the most logical to allow immigrants to seek asylum, housing and education in America considering America is who destroyed their homes. Why would we not make things right with the people we have wronged? Why would we have an issue with allowing immigrants to come here when we are the primary reason they are even coming here to begin with? As Claudia stated, the United States has caused Cuba to lose over $90 billion throughout the years. Imagine causing countries to go bankrupt from exploiting their labor and natural resources for personal gain then denying them access into the country that looted THEIR country to begin with. She also stated in the video that “they are following the trail of what was stolen from them”.

Claudia’s argument was based in fact and although she was persuasive she didn’t come across as disingenuous or manipulative the way Trump did. In fact, opposite to Trump she preached about unity and organization to fight against the divisive identity politics that Trump so often weaponizes against his uneducated racist audience. She spoke about how immigrants, LGBTQ, black people, women/feminists, Muslims and all groups of people need to come together and fight against the capitalist oligarch that is causing all our problems. She emphasizes how not to fall into the trap of Trump’s divisive rhetoric and focuses on the facts, not by using deceptive language. Trump wasn’t using factual information; he was instead calling the conservatives the party of “common sense” while not exhibiting any signs of common sense throughout his entire speech. The crowd cheered because Trump stroked their egos by making them feel like they are the ones with “common sense” while the rest of us who don’t agree are not as bright. Again, Trump knows its not about being honest or factual but how you can make the intended target feel emotionally that will ultimately win them over. Sadly, humans are more emotional than logical and that weak point in many Americans is what Trump used to his advantage.

02/18/2025                                                                                                                                                     Krista Kurt

ENG 201 04

                           Journal Entry #4: Understanding Visual Rhetoric with Cereal Box

                I chose a box of Raisin Bran Post cereal because that is my favorite cereal. Don’t laugh. The box is purple, there’s a bowl of the raisin bran in a purple bowl on the cover next to a small box of Sun Maid raisins and a bunch of raisins sitting next to the bowl of cereal. On top of the name of the cereal there is a little design of a sun which is probably due to raisins being sun dried grapes and that’s also most likely why the box is purple. The back of the box shows the cereal being poured into the bowl with milk splashing and is basically describing the vitamins, minerals and health benefits.

                In 1895 C.W. Post made his first batch of ‘Postum’ which was a cereal beverage. In 1897 they introduced the Grape Nuts cereal. Then in 1914 Marjorie Merriweather takes over the Postum company and renamed it General Foods. This cereal was made for people who have digestive issues and need more fiber in their diet. It’s also commonly known as a cereal that is more popular among older people because it is supposedly healthier due to the whole grains and raisins.

                The box is pretty simple and mainly focuses on the health benefits of the cereal. It’s not fun and colorful like cereals that are marketed to children. From the simple design you can tell this is a cereal for adults although its probably best if children were to eat this instead of Captain Crunch. My daughter also likes Raisin Bran. The cereal itself is just bran flakes and raisins with no special shapes or colors. Another thing is the cereal is rich with vitamins and minerals which is the main focus on the box as well. So this cereal is clearly marketed as a healthy cereal mainly for adults, people with heart or digestive problems and also elderly people.

                I used to work in sales and marketing in multiple arenas, so I have always analyzed subliminal details in products or commercials because it’s interesting to me. So even something like a box of cereal connects to the concept of rhetorical analysis because it is still a product that the company intends on selling. In order to sell the product, they need to market the product to the intended audience to maximize those sales. It’s not simply that this cereal is “healthy” because adults and people with health issues could opt for healthier alternatives to cereal altogether by eating fruits and veggies or oatmeal. They want the consumer to choose their cereal and they want to make a profit off the cereal so they advertise the box as being a healthy choice. Although there are much more healthier foods than cereal and one might say to ditch cereal altogether if you’re trying to be healthier, but the box has to be designed in a way that makes you add it to your grocery cart.

03/05/2025                                                                                                                                          Krista Kurt

ENG 201 04

                                   Journal Entry 5: Animated Revolt and Revolting Animation

                This piece of literature seemed like a dissertation regarding the depiction of revolutions, ideas about autonomy and civil rights movements in animated films specifically Pixar. At first, I wasn’t sure what side of the fence the author was on in terms of being for or against revolutions until I realized they were using a lot of sarcasm or writing from the perspective of the movie writers’ portrayals of revolutions and the messages being conveyed by the writers’ regarding revolutions. The author was writing through a Marxist/ economic lens, also a feminist theory and queer lens and finally a structuralist lens breaking down each part of a movie by its symbolism, its language, hidden and subliminal meanings and deconstructing in detail everything in the film. I chose this piece over others because the first one I looked at was too wordy and would require me to stop every minute to research each word in a dictionary which would make the reding experience a bit too overwhelming and harder for me to understand. This one was written in a more understandable context that wasn’t overly pretentious. Maybe I am not very smart, but a wise man Albert Einstein once said, “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”. I didn’t feel like spending extra time deciphering a superfluous amount of SAT words while at the same time trying to engage with the content to write a reflection. I need to be able to understand what I’m reading. I didn’t look through all of them, but I liked the topic because me and my daughter watch a lot of people analyze animated movies and their meanings through different lenses some similar to what the author wrote about in “Animated Revolt and Revolting Animation”.

                I have seen a few other people speak about the revolutionary themes in movies like Toy Story, Chicken Run, Monster’s Inc, Finding Nemo and The Bee Movie which the author wrote about all of these. That made it more enjoyable for me to read because I could see the similarities in perspectives but also this author showed me a completely different perspective that I didn’t consider was a main point of these movies. The author states that in these movies they make feminist movements, Marxist revolts and queer lifestyles seem childish, nothing more than fantasy, naïve, unrealistic, utopian and abnormal or against what is “natural”. The author goes into describe how these movies uphold heterosexual norms, patriarchal standards and that capitalism is the “more logical” and “better” structure in comparison to any alternatives. The author called the movies the Pixarvolt genre where these animated films play with themes of more diverse and queer characters, defy gender roles and patriarchal norms, concepts focused on community verses individualism and showing the exploitation of the labor force and how capitalism is not the best and only functional system that humans could or should live under. However, the author makes a point that putting these revolutionary messages in animated films makes these concepts seem like they are only fantasy, out of reach in the “real world” and that these are the ideals of optimistic children and not “logical wise adults who know better” than to take any of these concepts seriously. It almost reduces these ideas of revolution and worlds outside of white heterosexual patriarchal capitalist norms as “child’s play”.

                I never realized that I use all lenses in my writing because I like to be diverse and be able to see things from all perspectives not just one. I often care more about inclusion and don’t want to miss the entire picture or accurate understanding of something without taking all the lenses into account. For example, we can look through a feminist or queer theory lens however without a critical race theory lens, that considers the racial aspect of feminism and homosexuality, it is missing an entire populations perspective and experiences rendering it not truly whole or accurate. A White feminist lens is not the same as a Black feminist lens, same goes for trans, queer and homosexuals, their racial backgrounds make each lens very different which is why I think it’s important to use multiple so not to exclude important pieces of the puzzle and bigger picture. There are a lot of nuances and details that can be missed when only looking through one lens. Also, economic lenses are equally important because class differences and wealth inequality will also play a role in that nuance whether looking through a racial, queer or feminist lens. Obviously wealthy people who are of all races, sexualities and genders will have a vastly different life experience and lens than those who live in poverty or are working paycheck to paycheck. Then comes the psychoanalytical lens that contributes as well for example how queer people, women and Black people tend to have more issues with mental health and trauma compared to heterosexual white middle class men or affluent white men in general, including queer white men who have more of the privilege to be openly queer without the same stigma that Black men have, since toxic masculine behavior is often projected onto Black men since childhood and even encouraged. There is a lot more stigma for Black queer and trans people than there is for the white queer and trans community. All these lenses need to be considered when understanding certain literature but of course there are times when not all lenses are applicable or even presented in the literature. It’s all about discernment and understanding the main focal point and message that the author is trying to get across to their audience.