Big Deal! Big..Deal?

1/10/2016

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. ~Dr. Seuss

Instructions: Look at the video clip above. Then, briefly explain whether a black student that appears on national news for doing well in school means that black people are generally not smart.

INCLUDE: First initial AND last name AND class period.

Respond in no more than 10 sentences and no less than five. You must also reply to a classmate's post. You cannot post identical comments on different classmates' posts. Posting shallow comments such as "I agree" or "I disagree" will not earn you a passing grade. Make sure your posts address the reply that you are responding to.

Be sure to--

Be clear about your position
Provide specific support for your argument
Use rhetorical devices and other grammar elements
Write EPIC Content-Engaging, Powerful, Informative, Creative

CAUTION!! Do NOT embarrass me, yourself, your class, the English department, the school or your parents with tasteless, meaningless comments. This is for a grade.

Due: Fri., January 15, 2016 11:59 p.m. CST

Estevan Salas

1/10/2016 02:21:06 pm

I dont think that they put him on here to make or generalize that black people arent smart. But they put him on there to show that he is doing good in school. He is setting an expectation for other black people and is in no way saying that other blacks are dumb. Hes just another student that doing really well in school, but just happens to to black.

C. Villanueva 2nd pd

1/15/2016 07:20:34 pm

I agree with this statement, being black most likely has nothing to do with him being on the news unless they clearly state it. Its just another normal student appearing on tv for his accomplishments

Jordan Wolfe 1st Period

1/11/2016 07:39:14 am

It doesn't mean that black people are not smart if they appear on national television for being educated. The person was put on national television to show a story. It demonstrates how they overcomes adversity to get a 5.0. This shows people that anything is possible. This is a demonstration of him doing good in school. It is not meant to be generalized as the world saying that black people are not smart, instead it is showing a kid doing well in school.

Wcrawford 2nd

1/15/2016 07:41:41 pm

I agree with you and l they put the young man on there to show that he is accomplishing a major milestone in his life, but it could have been intended to show blacks arent generally educated. They did not put the story on the news to show black people are generally not educated they put the story on the news to encourage other black people to try this hard. They could have also put the story on national television to mock the african american race because many of us do not try as hard as that young man and hr sticks out like a blemish on a white sheet of paper.

Anthony Cain 2nd

1/15/2016 08:11:40 pm

I disagree, African Americans are people just like anyone else. We all have equal opportunity. Everyone is smart, the only problem is we don't give our best effort because of many reasons but mainly because us as people are lazy but African Americans are the smart just as a White person or Hispanic the list goes on. I think that it was a good idea to put this adolescent African male on the news because it can ultimately give the rest of us hope that we don't have to be 6 feet tall or bench 300 pounds. We can get exposure by being mentally strong and actually hitting the books.

Kimberly Covarrubias 2nd

1/11/2016 07:06:46 pm

This student was not put on television to show that generally black people are not smart. He was on television because he shows that anyone is able to do great in school. It doesnt matter what skin color you are if you put in determination anything can be done. No one puts a limit on you, you can go as far as you want, and get a straight 5.0 average. Hes just a student doing an exemplary job at school.

Kiarra Swanson 2nd Period

1/12/2016 05:04:29 pm

I agree with your statement because acknowledging a student's efforts on television doesn't degrade the rest of their group or race, it only sheds light on the talents the individual student possesses.

Maya Kelly 2nd period

1/15/2016 06:06:20 pm

It is nothing wrong with acknowledging someone for their academic excellence, people should be noticed for excelling in something more than just sports .

Jordan Wolfe 1st Period

1/14/2016 05:20:00 am

I agree with the fact that they are just trying to show a kid doing exemplary in school instead of just showing black people are not smart. It does not matter the color of his skin it just shows a kid that is going places in life.

Estevan Salas 1st

1/15/2016 07:14:35 pm

I agree with the fact that racism isnt included within this article.

K Allen 1st period

1/15/2016 05:25:23 pm

I agree with your statement because acknowledging a students educational accomplishments, has nothing to do with race.

Z.James 1st

1/11/2016 07:37:03 pm

No this does not represent black people as uneducated. This represent the progress that black people are making in this world. This story breaks ask the racial barriers in today's society that black people are uneducated. Also to inference from his name and his mother, it's proposed that he most likely came from an African or Islamic heritage. In the African culture, education is seemed as an opportunity, which is limited to only a variety of kids. Although, in today's society an educated black man is a threat to America's government. It also intimidates many different races including our own race because someone's knowledge can make someone else jealous.

J. James 1st

1/15/2016 06:42:26 am

I agree with the fact that in African culture they have a limited chance of becoming successful. In society today African American students don't take the chance to excel in school. So they take school and a pass time. When children in Africa take as a chance to succeed

Kiarra Swanson 2nd Period

1/12/2016 05:02:40 pm

The purpose of showing a student on national television to acknowledge their outstanding and noteworthy accomplishments is to shed light on how intelligently unique they are than most. Race plays little part in this fact, if anything, it helps degrade the negative stereotype society has on the black community. It shows that black students are just as capable of being exemplary in not only sports and entertainment, but also academics. The notion that having an intelligent black student on the news means that the black community is ignorant makes no sense. To conclude, showing students of different races, including black, subtly supports racial equality.

Kimberly Covarrubias 2nd period

1/15/2016 08:23:42 am

I agree with you that this guy was put in television only so people can acknowledge his acomplishments, and its true that this shows that anything can be done by anyone it just depends how much you put effort in it.

Maya Kelly 2nd period

1/15/2016 06:17:23 pm

Infact this was a great way to hornor someone exallance, it had nothing to do with the color of anyone's skin .They was just simply hornoing someone that need to to be recongized .

C Malone 2nd

1/15/2016 07:32:36 pm

I agree, this is not about race or gender, this shows a young motivated man who is dedicated in his school work and earned acknowledgement from the news.

I.Chancellor 2nd period

1/15/2016 11:47:30 pm

Indeed, it was to show a outstanding and intelligent young person. Again, it really does degrade the negative stereotypes of a black community showing that we are hard working and not lazy. As a matter of fact, I was happy to see the news showed a academically young black person in his studies than showing a black athlete who is number one in the country and probably dumb as a rock. To tell the truth, that notation is stupid and has no logic behind it, about us being ignorant. For conclusion, showing all races as smart and intelligent does support racial equality..

H. Aleman 1st period

1/14/2016 10:00:05 am

I do not think that a black student being put on the news for doing well in school gerealizes that black people aren't smart. I think that the students appearance on the news has a deeper meaning. He could've had a bad background or a story to tell.

K. Brown

1/14/2016 10:37:30 am

I agree that he could have a bit of a back story. BUT it could also be that he just wishes for a better future.

K. Brown

1/14/2016 10:34:20 am

The fact that a black male was on television for being academically talented, doesn't generalize that all black people are smart or dumb. It just shows that he decided to better himself in school.

N. Watkins 1st period

1/14/2016 06:53:56 pm

The main job for news stations is to deliver amazing stories to the public. Therefore, this young black male who is excelling in school with eye popping SAT scores has nothing to do with black students normally not being smart. No matter your race, if you are doing good things school wise that is great enough to make it on the news, society will think highly of you.

Estevan Salas 1st

1/15/2016 07:15:46 pm

I agree that is the medias job

N Caldwell 2nd

1/15/2016 08:27:00 pm

I agree with this comment because the race doesnt matter andthe media doesnt really care for the race.

Karyna

1/14/2016 09:09:28 pm

Weather the news station was amazed with Akintunde Ahmad's performance in school, it does not mean the whole black generation is not smart or capable of doing the same. But it is accurate that most blacks and every other race, have became very lazy and no longer care about their grades. Now, it is all about rapping, drugs, sports and how famous children dream they are going to be in the future. So can we really be surprised that this generation is being discriminated? No, we can not, the way people's mindsets are today drastically need to change. Hopefully with Akintunde as a model we can all change.

J. James 1st

1/15/2016 06:38:17 am

With showing a young African American having and holding a 5.0 gpa is outstanding. This also breaks the stereotype that African Americans aren't intelligent. This shows other nationalities that African Americans are showing progress to becoming a more intelligent race . This man got college acceptance to go to prestigious private colleges with a free ride. This just shows America that success can come from anywhere

Gabrielle Sharp 2nd period

1/15/2016 04:41:45 pm

Success can come from anywhere. It doesn't what background you come from. If you have access to education, then you can excel. Being intelligent isn't a privelage that only some have, it's for everyone.

Emanuel Sandoval

1/15/2016 06:41:21 am

Seeing a black student on national tv is pretty rare, when its for having a high status on Acedemics. But it does not mean that most blacks aren't smart. But as the news lady stated "When ever they ask Akintunde about his grades they do not believe him" so it kind is suprising to see a smart black person. And thats why the news decided to make a story on him.

Y'anakeysha Oatman

1/15/2016 10:58:16 am

I agree with this statement because of his appearance of the student effects on the video to acknowledge their outstanding and accomplishments . In today society African American are uneducated they want to sell in needed products. In this black community is ignorant makes no sense. Its shouldn't matter how a person skin tone is

Gabrielle Sharp 2nd period

1/15/2016 04:38:40 pm

When I see this video, I don't see a black boy with dreads that happens to be intelligent. I see an educated young man with a bright future ahead of him. Just because he happens to be black doesn't mean that he is any different. Although it's pretty rare to an African American celebrated for academics, it doesn't mean that they're nonexistent. It just means that the ones who are smart aren't as publicised as the other races are. Just because you don't hear about them, it doesn't mean they're not there.

M.meade

1/15/2016 11:12:48 pm

I agree with you .They did not focus on his color but more of his brain and therr is also there is others just like him he isn't the first and will not be the last.

K.Allen 1st period

1/15/2016 05:16:29 pm

Just because they acknowledge a black student on national televison for their education does not mean they are saying black people are uneducated. They are being acknowledged for their accomplishments because getting a 5.0 is not easy, so him getting a high gpa average is exceptional. Also, he has a story to tell so him getting on national tv is the way he is telling his story. It does not have anything to do with race, they are giving praise to somebody who has worked hard and accomplished something that is very rare. It actually shows that any race can be acknowledged on television, just not for the negative aspects but also the positive. It shows black students as just not being "thugs, killers, gang bangers, and rappers" it shows the hard work, and dedication.

Estevan Salas 1st

1/15/2016 07:16:37 pm

I agree, all because a black person is on tv dosent mean its downgrading anyone of the same race

H. Aleman 1st

1/15/2016 07:38:28 pm

I agree, He was simply being acknowledged for holding a 5.0 GPA because it isn't easy.

Julissa p. 1st period

1/15/2016 11:31:57 pm

Yes it is true that the media was just a acknowledging that the young man made a 5.0 GPA which is amazing and hard to achieve.

Zayid Aziz 2nd Period

1/15/2016 11:51:11 pm

I agree, they put him on the news because of his academic accomplishment based off of his situation, he isn't on the news because he is black and smart.

C. Villanueva 2nd pd

1/15/2016 07:18:12 pm

Seeing a black person appear on the news does not mean anything. He's just another outstanding student that happens to be black. He wasn't treated any different from any other race. If he worked really hard for something and got recognize that's just another one of his accomplishments.

C Malone 2nd

1/15/2016 07:28:56 pm

The news didn't broadcast him because it it's rare to see a smart black person, he was broadcasted to set a new standard for black people. He is a hardworking, motivated, and humble student who just so happens to be black. It is a stereotype for black people to be less educated, and he was shown to go against that stereotype. His appearance causes people to second guess his grades "Whenever students are asked about his grades, they do not believe him.

N Caldwell 2nd

1/15/2016 08:23:58 pm

It doesnt mean anything when a intelligent black teen get on news. He is just another child with a rare gift that the news is showing. It just shows that hard working people get somewhere in life.

K . Amenyinu 4th Period

1/15/2016 09:48:00 pm

Because of some people's separatist ideals it may seem as if he was put on television to state that "see blacks are smart too" making it seem as if they are downgrading Blacks or African Americans but in reality being educated doesn't pertain to just one race and because some people are "butthurt" they make it seem that way when the real intention was to show that ANYONE of each and every different race can rise above anything and produce results like he has.

Christian Cordero 2ndperiod

1/15/2016 09:55:05 pm

Showing a black person on national television doesn't mean anything. He just happens to be one of many african americans to have a chance to appear on television because he's an outstanding student and has outstanding grades. They probably chose him from others because he has a story to tell with a deep meaning.

LTucker

1/15/2016 11:07:08 pm

I agree with what you are saying 100%. He was just being recognized for his achievements. And regardless of the other people out there making oustanding grades, he has an interesting story that makes for great television. His story gives everyone that shocking feeling of him choosing to work over partying.

LTucker

1/15/2016 11:00:00 pm

This video has nothing to do with the fact that black people are not smart . Just because there was an african american intelligent enough to have scores like the ones he had and share them on national television does not mean it had anything to do with the color of his skin. What if your scores were like the ones he had? Wouldn't you want to be recognized on national television? His skin color has nothing to do with the fact that he has a 5.0. If you work hard enough then you could achieve great success like he has.

M.meade 1st

1/15/2016 11:07:46 pm

I don't think they put him on the news because of his race but just for his academics. I don't think the news really focused on his race only that he is very good at school . I do agree that there are people that say its rare for black people to get that kind of academics and grades . But in conclusion, the news were not focusing on his race but more on his grades

I. Chancellor 2nd period

1/15/2016 11:28:44 pm

This does not mean black people are not smart if they showed it on the news. But to show that we are smart and if hard work is put in the equation, African Americans can be successful in school. With all honesty,the reason why other black people are not shown on the news,is because they do want us to have an example of a successful,smart black person that is doing the right thing as compared to other races. For example, they did not show the African American man that graduated from law school at 22. So often, the news down play successful African Americans, but this young man receiving his law degree at 22 represented the percentage of African Americans that have goals and are on top of their game. When I viewed this video, this quote by Vince Lombardi came to mind, "The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand".

Julissa P. 1st period

1/15/2016 11:29:20 pm

The news didn't discriminate but instead showed off a well educated young man with a bright future ahead of him.Being black doesn't mean or have anything to do with how well educated that person is.Stereotypes are a major problem in society as you can see.People are easily swayed by someone's appearance but appearance sometimes has nothing to do with how much a person knows.The media is merely acknowledging this young mans great achievement it has nothing to do with stereotypes.

Zayid Aziz 2nd Period

1/15/2016 11:47:04 pm

I don't think that a black student appearing on the news for his academic accomplishments means that black students are generally not smart, because the news reports important things that happen in that area. If he was a white, asian, or something else and was in the same situation with similar living conditions, they would still report the story. They didn't report about this because he was black, they reported about it because of his accomplishments.Anyone that has a 5.0 GPA and get a 2100 on an SAT in his living conditions, has earned a right to be on the news.He earned that right because of his intellect, they didn't give it to him because of his skin color.

Comments are closed.

Mixed Ink

Mixed Ink is our class blog, the window into our souls. It was designed to improve students' writing, critical thinking and communication skills by giving them a platform to provide meaningful content based on their interpretation of what they see.

Although the students receive a grade based on a rubric for completing this assignment, they are not graded on complexity of thought. This is a place where students of all levels can freely, confidently and creatively express themselves and their opinions in a nonjudgmental platform. They are required to respond to and critique each other, but degradation, slander, lewdness, etc., will not be tolerated.

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