The Humane Side of Criminals

We've talked extensively in class about the three groups of people in Miami: the mobiles, the locals, and the exiles. When discussing the last group, people usually focus on the homeless. But after spending a night in jail, I became acquainted with another group of exiles: the inmates of Dade County Jail. I came to find out that despite society's view of criminals, most of the people I met were not monsters. After enduring the abusive and unsanitary conditions at the jail, I wondered how people without the resources I had were able to recover from such trauma and how these conditions were allowed in the first place.

I plan on arguing that the inhumane conditions in jail, notably Dade County Jail, are not conducive to rehabilitation. I believe that the psychological trauma experienced by the inmates actually increases their chance of ending up back in jail. My philosophy is that if you treat a person like a human, they will see themselves as human and therefore treat other people as humans. If people develop a sense of respect for themselves then they will start to respect other people as well as the institutions created by other people. I also believe that the opposite is true and that by treating criminals like monsters, they will act that way and are destined to break the law again.

Pan Am as a Representation of Miami

Though one of the world leading's airlines failed after economic issues in 1991, Pan American captured travelers' imaginations in its enticing advertisements, promising the lure of an exotic in no time. Its ads represent important moments in United States history. World War II, the Cold War era, and the deregulation of the 1980s were reflected in each of Pan Am's ads. Each image caters to a different emotion from the justified patriotism in the '40s to the sensibility of the '50s. While the advertiser's intent is to create emotion, do these emotions connect to Pan Am's base in Miami? Did Pan Am's visual history open the world to its southern base? Did Miami's globalized future stem from an emotion that began in a magazine advertisement for Pan Am?

In the style of literary nonfiction, I hope to argue how a Pan Am advertisement describes an emotional history of the time and, subsequently, a representation of Miami. This ad will shape the personal portion of the essay in the same way Ayaz did for Kumar's "Flight." A close reading of an ad helps the various analyses for Pan Am and its ties to Miami. Having visited Special Collections in the University of Miami, I did not find many ads trying to get travelers to visit Miami specifically but Florida. Miami's present state must have started with the beginnings of the commercial airline industry. Its port and gateway to Latin/South America have roots in Pan Am. Pan Am's ads may explain Miami's uniqueness in its balance of reality versus spectacle, the predominance of foreign banks and markets, and its racial/class tensions. Does Pan Am's larger role as a world airline indirectly symbolize Miami?

William E. Brown Jr. states, "Pan Am would help take the world to Miami, and would do so on time." ("Pan Am: Wings to the World," 145). Is there any validity to this statement?

Graffiti: A Visual Voice For A Silenced Community

“How has graffiti become an integral form of self-expression and voice for the often-overlooked local population in Miami?” This research question is important because it examines a subject that very few scholars would like to debate. Researching this and giving it intellectual importance goes against the general consensus of the learned community that passes off graffiti as an insignificant gang activity in inner cities. Graffiti is universal in cities, but the graffiti of Miami is unique. Other studies have been done in this area in years past. It is more important now than ever, especially with the general political and social frustration of the majority of the American people, that we bring these problems to the forefront. This project will attempt to add a modern chapter to the previous studies of graffiti and social change. In addition to this main research question, I will also ask what art truly is, and what would drive someone to vandalize in order to express their sentiments on the concrete canvas.

The main audience is primarily the middle class, along with the wealthier mobiles and exiles. It is these groups of people that can actually help in the plight of these people. The middle class can join them in their struggle, and the wealthy can help to bring about even greater change with their high financial status. To properly answer this question, we will need a history of graffiti in the area, the effectiveness of graffiti in awareness of issues, and the general receptiveness of the public to graffiti. I’ll also examine the devastating effects of the construction of I-95 through Overtown, information that is integral for the understanding of the local experience. To add a personal note I’ll explain the similarities between the attitude toward graffiti and attitudes toward my own art.

A Frontier Town?

The idea for my research project came to me while I was reading an article published in 1938 by Padraic Colum. The way he described Miami sounded like he was in a constantly changing city. He elaborated on the trailer houses that he would see on the side of the road, and called it a type of "nomadism under modern conditions." He portrayed these people to be in search of a better life, as pioneers. I thought of the people of today who come to Miami, and if they could be viewed as the same way and I was instantly reminded of the exile community, those who also seek a better life in Miami. Delving further into this connection I also remembered that although moving your home, or at least the home of your future generations, is a huge change in and of itself, sometimes immigrants choose not to assimilate into their new environment's culture. I began to wonder whether this rejected or confirmed Colum's view of the city in 1938 as a "frontier town." Sure they come to Miami looking for change in their lives, but for the exiles it is not by choice, but rather by necessity.

So what is the effect of non-assimilation of the exile community? For my research I had to narrow the focus down to one culture group, Cuban immigrants, and how the choice made by a member of this group to assimilate or not assimilate affects the rest. What kind of tension does this create? Is the tension within the Cuban exile community itself, or in between culture groups? For my project my goal is to use these questions to compare the identity of Miami today with Colum's Miami in 1938, before the great influx of Cuban immigrants that started in 1959.

The Arts

All my life art has been important to me, so I decided to write my research paper based on the question of how art education and the art scene overcome the horrible stigma against their importance when compared to math and sciences. This question is paramount in our lives because if we can find out how we are currently making progress in overcoming this injustice we will be able to further improve the art standing in our communities and give more hope to those attracted to them. Also, so that those who do not agree can understand why they are so important in the first place. While many others have written about the significance of education in the arts in schools and higher education, there is rarely a personal aspect to the stories leaving them unmoving to the readers. That is why I think taking a personal approach to this research will have a much greater impact on the audience. The audience in this case being those who are simply ignorant of the arts or refuse to believe in their importance over things such as medicine.

Hopefully, the more personal tone will affect the readers in such a way that they realize the arts are not simply superficial images and designs, but rather the hard work, inspiration and imagination of countless individuals just trying to express themselves and show the world what it’s never before seen or imagined. Particular to Miami, the Wynwood galleries are perfect for the cultivation of such art as well as a reference point for more personal stories in the art world. Also, any articles about the changing art education in the school system, especially under new leadership would help to provide research for my point along with any other first hand accounts of artists’ stories.

Hurricane Andrew's Varying Effects on Miami

Zooming in on one of the most influential moments of Miami History, Hurricane Andrew, is the perfect opportunity to utilize anecdotes from local survivors and personal reactions to the somewhat surprising after effects of the storm. How did Hurricane Andrew’s effect on the mobiles, locals, and exiles influence Miami’s culture? Downtown Miami and Miami Beach, areas with high concentrations of tourists, mobiles, and non-local business owners, were barely touched by the storm while local residents of Florida City, Homestead, Kendall, and Cutler Bay were left homeless or dead. Overall, through its different effects on Miami locals, exiles, and mobiles, what contribution did Hurricane Andrew make to Miami's identity?

I identify with Hurricane Andrew because my mom was pregnant with me during the storm and I was born into and grew up during the aftermath. What was it like being a baby during this devastating time? What was it like being a mother, father, grandmother, neighbor, etc.? How does the aftermath of Andrew illuminate and/or alter the tension between locals, mobiles, and exiles of Miami? How did that tension change Miami's identity?


Hurricane Andrew’s devastation seen on the streets by residents south of Miami and on the news by tourists, mobiles, and non-local business owners made Miami a place to avoid at all costs: local residents moved to areas considered safer, mobiles left their condos and houses by the water, and entrepreneurs took their businesses elsewhere because of Andrew’s massive
blow to Miami’s tourist industry. The aftermath of the storm left residents feeling alienated, homeless, and lost. Like its locals, Miami experienced a loss of identity and was forced to start anew and rebuild its neighborhoods, towns, and local way of life; however, although restoration was long and difficult, buildings, like the local Miami residents, were rebuilt stronger and
prepared for the next big storm.



Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/28/business/a-year-after-hurricane-andrew-insurers-maneuver-to-lower-risk.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

http://www.hurricanecity.com/andrew.htm

http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/andrew.html

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=352881460399&topic=15257

http://www.bariumblues.com/deadly_silences.htm

Just Another Visitor

I remember how the adrenaline made me jittery at the airport, how Ryan kept talking on and on about how excited he was about getting the hell out of Indiana.

"A whole week! We get a whole week off, I can't believe it" he had kept repeating.

I had finally seen my green suitcase rounding the corner on the luggage carousel, the black rubber mats bringing it closer and closer, when it hit me that this was my first time out of state, and I couldn't believe it was Miami that Ryan chose, of all places. It was so him, the flashy club scene, the crowded beaches. Our first dinner was in a humble little Cuban restaurant across the street from our hotel.

As I sat in my bed now, staring up at the ceiling and reminiscing on the times we had on our spontaneous expedition, I wondered what it would be like to go back one day. But it would be difficult to leave my job. In the coal mines, I get paid to pour concrete. In fact the reason we received time off, Ryan and I, was for a incident that could have taken a person's life. A hose clogged with concrete burst, sending concrete everywhere, and rattling the dig that we were in. Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing by staying at that job. Maybe I should move to Miami, that city of glamour must have bigger and better things for me. But I wonder if the people who live there can say the same?

It's funny how we found our leisure in Miami, where we didn't have to work at all. It was like a break from life and labor. Sometimes I think both are one and the same. But I find it impossible for a city to be all play and no work. I know, actually living in Miami would be completely different. Then again, I've never actually considered that people actually live there, or have family living there. You never really hear about the locals.

I immediately changed my mind. Maybe I'll just get a summer home in Miami.

Lights, Cameras, Deception!

Living in Miami, I feel like I’m on the set of a movie. There’s some omnipotent director telling me how to act my role as a local. On screen guns blaze, dealers light up, and celebrities step onto their yachts docked behind their multi-million dollar homes on Star Island. Each shot lasts less than a second and we actors are constantly running, dying, and blowing things up. There are shots of beautiful women lying on South Beach in revealing bikinis, teenagers rolling ecstasy in grimy nightclubs, and neon lights illuminating the homeless man who flashes his toothless grin at men who walk by in tight shirts and skinny jeans.

We actors know that this movie is an inaccurate rendition of Miami but we’re putting on a show that’ll sell tickets: if we act well enough people may but into the spectacle and come to the theater.

People accuse the mobiles of creating a false image of Miami but we locals are the true criminals: we become what others think we are because we want to live vicariously through exciting false representations instead of our lives that are boring in comparison.

Silhouette

As the sun yellows and dips behind the puffy clouds, swiped across the early evening sky, he sees his shadow, or rather his silhouette, just a simple black outline of the person he is, blocked out by the intense glow of the rays behind him. Unidentifiable.

Miami is a city with no identity. Of the three types of people who live here, locals, mobiles and exiles, they are either overlooked and hold no claim to the city or simply identity with a completely different place. Yes, it's true that all of them live under the same blistering sun every day, but their identities are lost within the city. Just by looking at them, you may not be able to tell where they come from or what language they speak which just goes to show how not one group is known to belong to the city. Sure, the locals call themselves just that, locals, but after the hard economic times in the middle of the 20th century, they were pushed to the dark corners of the city while the beautiful beaches were splattered with fancy condos and the fantastic influx of Cubans and other Latino people surged into the city. With this strange combination of people who all hold about equal thirds of the city, not just one can hold claim to the city.

But beside the picture just representing the lost identity of the people of Miami, I also thought it showed a little bit of the facade of the mobile culture and the way Miami is portrayed as a beach and party town because the sun is being reflected in the glass instead of directly at the sunset itself. This struck me as perhaps related to the way that magazines and TV show the beach and club scene of the city, which are truly there, but they are being used to create a fake identity of the city instead of the raw, true feeling of the city as a whole.

A Day with Jennine Capó Crucet

Never did I think I would get to hear a successful author discuss her work as if she were having an informal conversation. The voice in How to Leave Hialeah becomes evident after a few moments with Jennine Capó Crucet. Crucet’s responses to each of the group’s questions made me want to discover more. While her struggles with publishing and writing were interesting, there was nothing like hearing new material. With a novel in the works, it will provide an opportunity to form connections with her short stories.

Equally as exciting, one question that I could not wait to ask was about her use of comedy. I would have never thought she had considered becoming a sketch writer. I admit that I had pondered over this career move. She explained the importance of comedy and how it helps heighten emotion after a tragic moment. In the spirit of the discussion, she read a few snippets of stories she normally offers at bars. Taking the structure from Latina magazine, she created her own advice columns. Women asked about problems related to dating and men in general. Though they were hilarious, they presented real issues, which, upon closer examination, lose its comedic value. In my writing, I want to do the same. Let the comedy tell the story but not outweigh the core message.

Crucet’s decision to become a writer also spoke to me. She noted that she would not have written these stories had someone else already done it. Writing has to come from a personal place but must also express an idea or emotion that describes the human condition. Nice descriptions and vivid language are only as effective as the theme that supports them. Therefore, I have stories that need telling and cannot leave them for someone else who may or may not care as strongly as I do. It is not about the potential of fame or notoriety, but creating something that will help future generations understand a particular time or event and its effect on the individual or society.

Jennine Capo Crucet

I feel so lucky to have had the experience to meet and talk with an author like Jennine Capo Crucet. She was not at all like what I had expected; from How to Leave Hialeah I received almost a bitter impression of the writer of the level of tolerance and view of the Latino culture in Miami. However my first impressions of her were of a very outgoing, bubbly and happy person. She was incredibly friendly and gave great insights into her work. I was glad we got a litte time with her just to ourselves to ask questions, but she was also amazing in the larger group setting with the Women's and Gender Studies class.

I'm satisfied with her work and definitely plan on purchasing her new book when it comes out because I absolutely loved the excerpt she read from it during the second portion of the class. There is something incredible about the way she strings her words together and puts feeling behind them.

In general, I'm thrilled to have met her. I have always enjoyed reading my entire left, but it is such a rare opportunity to meet the author behind a book you have read. It's a strange experience because in your own head you perceive the book in a certain way as well as the author and meeting them can completely throw you off. At the same time, it is definitely a worth-while experience to get to meet the person who caught your attention and had the ability to probe your imagination.

With Jennine, it was fascinating to hear her talk about her own ideas and writing process and how she came about with the ideas to write How to Leave Hialeah. It's the kind of information one normally wouldn't have access to after reading a book and provides a greater insight into the story itself. Also, she seems to have the qualities of a great writer and it was so interesting to hear her talk about her life and struggle to become a writer, since I have considered the career path myself.

My new signed poster is hanging in my room along with my now signed copy of How to Leave Hialeah which I plan to spread the word about and recommend to my friends.

Who's "We"?

“We are Miami.”

Thus, even reputable news stations attempt to understand the societal tensions that comprise a divided city. Apparently, Miami belongs to the Everglades, the gaudy pink of the flamingo (referred to as “locals”), and the flash of Dolphin’s football. Miami once again relies on its main attractions to convey a certain image of the city, the spectacle. The station, however, sees them as forms of environmental awareness, local pride, and familial values. These seem different from the Miami portrayed by competing news stations, vying for a neighborhood shooting for the night’s headlines. NBC’s subtle form of propaganda wants to describe Miami as prospering, transforming into a major economic force comparable to the Northeast’s New York City or the West’s Los Angeles.

But as a source for credible journalism, how can it promote this superficial image of the city? The heart of the city does not lie imbedded in these outward layers. Where are the depictions of Overtown and the highway system that runs through it? Where are the exiles that live outside of the epicenters of Little Havana and Little Haiti? I realize that Miami cannot be disconnected from its associations to vacation and splendor. The main news anchors housed in cars and boats also speak to a local, celebrity elite, symbolizing an unspoken, hierarchical source of economic power.

The suppression of local culture also returns as a major motif. The only appearance of locals remains hidden in helmets. And this commercial reinforces another stereotype, showing the importance of physical aesthetic. Beauty and athleticism cover the real issues. Therefore, NBC Miami’s ironically continues to fall back on iconic images instead of presenting the truth in its advertisements.

So is there answer to what “we” means? It seems that Miami argues for the advancement of one group over others in an effort to define its identity, a middle that exists between truth and fiction.

Surprise Graffiti!

I had originally wanted this blog post to center around the photograph below. I went on the Metrorail solely for the purpose of taking a picture of graffiti. But not just any graffiti, it had to be graffiti that could only be seen by the riders of the train. It was at the top of a building, so the only way anyone could see it entirely would be, primarily, from the Metro. Perhaps EHN5 or HINT was a gang, or a high school, or some other organization I wasn’t aware of at the time, or referring to some important issue. I honestly had no idea what these phrases meant, but I was intent on finding out their inner meanings.

The most I found out about EHN5 was that it classified a number of hardware items, furniture, and even a trading stock on the New York Stock Exchange. But none of it seemed to be related to locals in Miami. I could find almost nothing for HINT that related to any organizations in Miami.

But what I found on one of the light posts was even more interesting. Here, in the subway station at South Miami, was inscribed the life span of an individual. I don’t know the name of this individual, the letters were hard to make out. But what was visible was “Oct. 21, 1963-2011”. The Miami Metrorail system wasn’t established until 1984, when this person would’ve been twenty-one years old. Imagine the stories this individual could’ve told us. He or she might’ve told us about life before the Metrorail, how construction impacted the community, how the subway system united (or further divided) Miami as a city. The possibilities are endless. If only the marker had engraved “Oct. 21, 1963-”.

A Reading and Discussion

Jennine Capo Crucet wasn't the type of person I expected to meet at all. It just goes to show how greatly she creates a narrator that is so separated from the author, and how she makes her characters so powerfully complex. I think it's this complexity in emotions and decisions within the narratives that really made me think of the meanings lying beneath the surface. She pointed out that she makes sure to build her characters as the foundation for the story, instead of taking a principle or idea that she wants to express and then making a plot focused on just that.

This idea reminded me of our investigations of the culture of Miami, and how we are aiming to create theories based on the evidence in front of us, rather than taking sociological or anthropological principles and applying it to the city, finding bits and pieces of proof as support. Just like Barthes, we are starting with the material, the culture groups in Miami, the trends, the lifestyles, and the tensions in between in order to see what it is that makes the city different than all of the other major cities out there.

I also particularly enjoyed her touch on the subject of identity, and the paralysis of identity that comes with being a first generation American. Both of my parents came to America to start a family, and sometimes I wonder which country is my real home, or if it's possible to have two homes. I think Ms. Capo Crucet is a very inspiring writer, and I am very grateful to have met with and to have had the pleasure of hearing such a wonderful person.

Herald Hunt 2011

Yes, you are looking at a gigantic brassiere in a construction site. No, this is not a practical joke, though many people would say so. This is the Herald Hunt—the one time during the year when uprising intellectual sleuths gather round ridiculous phenomena, such as this bra, to ruminate over its larger meaning and fit the jagged pieces of the puzzle together in their minds for a chance to win a prize. Of course, some people just do it for the hell of it knowing from the start that they won’t win while still keeping the spark of hope alive in their minds, because there is a possibility that they might win. The Hunt began in 1984 and, since then, has brought some of the most interesting and interesting-looking people to different locations throughout Miami to test their wit.

I think the writers of the clues for this Hunt thoroughly enjoy watching people go crazy as they try to figure out the puzzle, which usually has an obvious solution; the right-in-front-of-your-nose effect drives people absolutely mad.

This year the Hunt took place around the new Marlins Stadium, yet another Miami spectacle that is sure to draw more and more people to downtown Miami. I’m not exactly sure who won, but I think it was a family from Broward. Yes, once again, my family walked away empty-handed with nothing but headaches and sunburns to show for our five hours of thinking abstractly—maybe next year we’ll win.