The Sisterhood of Night

Here is the place to share any thoughts, comments or questions on THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT.

Themes: cyberbullying, social interaction, adolescent use of media, news media accessing social media for news stories, etc.

We'll finish viewing it on Monday in class.

Donald Trump discussed at Democratic Debate on Wednesday

Is Donald Trump Racist? What Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Said During Democratic Debate

Last night's democratic debate delved into the topic of Donald Trump and racism. Both Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders agreed that Trump's past attacks on Mexicans, Muslims, and women have made him unsuitable for the presidency.

I think Trump's views on these particular issues speak volumes about the kind of person he is, especially when it comes to immigration policies. He's willing to deport every illegal immigrant, "build a wall" on the Mexican border, wants to ban Muslims from living in the country, and will refuse to accept Syrian refugees. Is this the kind of president we want to run our country?

Researching ‘controversy with Donald Trump’ lead me to an article where he responds to comparisons to Hitler. The comparison can be linked to the beginning of his campaign, with Trump’s xenophobic attutide towards Muslims and Mexicans being a cornerstone of his platform (and his appeal). But the comparison has been in the news recently due to Trump recently asking voters to raise their right hand as a sign of pledging their vote to the Republican Candidate. In typical Trump fashion, he responded to the comparison on “Good Morning America” with “I don’t know anything about the Hitler comparison, I hadn’t heard that, but it’s a terrible comparison. I’m not happy about that certainly”. Trump then went on state that he felt like he was “acting more like Franklin Roosevelt than Hitler”.

            I found this comparison interesting because I believe Trump must be referring to Roosevelt’s attitude towards Jewish refugees during the beginning of World War 2. FDR refused the admittance of Jewish voyagers on the St. Louis.   I don’t think most Americans are aware of how this country responded to the plight of the Jewish people, and how we ignored their pleas for help when they needed it most. Regardless, I hope Trump is further questioned on this statement and he will have to answer on his thoughts about how America treated immigrants when they needed help the most.

 http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/08/politics/donald-trump-adolf-hitler-comparison-response/

Donald Drumpf

I find it a little ridiculous and frankly cowardly that so many people are threatening to move out of the country if Donald Trump is elected president. What that says is "I'll live here, only as far as I get what I want." This is the definition of American Exceptionalism. Right now there are thousands of refugees struggling to get to safety in the United States, and while the next president may have a huge impact on the numbers of those who actually do  make it (from Syria for example), that doesn't mean that the next president will be the end all, be all. There are balanced powers in our government which make sure that a single person cannot do much to change the outlook of the country. In 2016, 88% of the congressional seats are up for grabs- which means that it isn't the presidential election that will dictate how the next four years go, but rather the House and Senate races that will. Congress is the group that passes or vetoes anything proposed. If you believe that Donald Trump is going to build a wall, you better know that he has a lot of hurdles to jump before he can even get such a bill on the floor. If young people organize and vote, they can have a huge impact on the election. Millenials are starting to outnumber baby boomers, which means if they turn out to vote, millenials will have a huge impact on the way seats are awarded in D.C.
If you at all care about the future of this country then go out, phone bank, and register people to vote! Do research on the congressional nominations and vote for people who support your ideals best. Do not let a pop-culture icon dictate the way you'll live your life.

 http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/01/16/this-year-millennials-will-overtake-baby-boomers/
It is interesting to note that immigrants are contributing to the influx of Millenials more than any other group! This stat may support the fact that the Donald Trump campaign is trying to divide the Millenial demographic with his xenophobic philosophy. Additionally, the Trump campaign seems to also be trying to divide the Hispanic and Black American demographics through smear ads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmtnY7Pf0TU

Trump and Kids (Maria Sanchez)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ZTKaMcqCM

A lot of people look for the reaction of one another as well as their opinion when it comes to Donald Trump, but not everyone is into what the young minds have to say. I found a YouTube video where they show kids reacting to interviews, advertising videos...etc. where Trump its at his natural habitat. I must say i do agree with what the kids are say, "Donald Trump should not be president" and as i have been saying from the beginning "if he wins, i will be moving to another country; to a whole other planet if i could". it is just so hard for me to understand how someone in this point in time can still be so racist and ignorant. I think politics should be given the respect and importance. The job that has to be done as a president is quite delicate and should not be given to someone who thinks that this is a spotlight where is all about him or a form of a talk show.. he should go create a his own personal talk show, i think he will be much more successful than as president; besides, that is the reason a lot of people love him already, not for the potential to even create or finish his own sentences. He lacks far more than this.

Will Attacks on Trump Make a Difference

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/07/john-oliver-louis-ck-snl-attack-donald-trump

This article discusses not only John Oliver's attack on Donald Trump, but it also touches on comedian Louis CK and how he wrote a 1,400 letter word urging people not to vote for Trump. The article also mentioned the SNL skit that aired this past Saturday with a parody commercial titled "Racists for Trump."

The main point the article is making is despite the attacks on Trump, he seems to not be effected by them as he is still considered the front runner for the GOP nominee. Stated in the article is that "But no comedic blow can truly do any damage if the thing that makes him so hard to mock is the very thing he’s selling: no matter how hard you hit him, he pops up right back up again."

Trump and Hitler (Mario Prainito)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-the-age-of-trump-grim-warnings-from-holocaust-survivors/2016/01/27/c65ea38c-c549-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html

This is article is about Holocaust survivors talking about the current state of politics in America. These people are showing that Trump's plans for America are eerily similar to Hitler's plans pre World War II. Talking about not letting Muslims in America and tagged Muslims already in America is something that Hitler did in Germany. I just find it insane that people still want him for president when he openly bashes minorities. America currently no where near Germany during World War II but the comparison the Holocaust survivors made of Donald Trump to Hitler is that people should consider. The article ends by saying if anyone can make this comparison it would someone was in a concentration camp.

Trump embarrassment (Sophia Uhl)

I searched for articles from news corporations that challenged Trump's controversial campaign. I was shocked to come across an article on the right-winged FoxNews.com entitled "Donald Trump and America's Sewer Politics: A Campaign Beyond Embarrassment." This was published on March 1st by op-ed columnist Cal Thomas. I was under the impression that Fox News would support Trump's presidential bid, considering the outlet's conservative ideals and policies. Yet, the organization released this article in order to emphasize the fact that they do not agree with his tactics and flip-flopping tendencies. The author writes that "Trump's horrid statements," including his "personal insults and hurtful accusations" of Rubio and Cruz are an immense embarrassment to the Republican Party. The reporter considers Trump to be an ignorant villain who does not properly represent the views of his party. The last paragraph highlights the author's and news corporation's overall rejection of Trump. Thomas writes that if voters are forced to vote between Clinton and Trump, they may have to support the lesser of two evils, Hillary Clinton. I was extremely surprised to learn that Fox News actually alluded to the fact that Clinton is a better choice for the presidency. Trump's candidacy has made a Fox News writer a Clinton supporter! Fox News' shocking rejection of Trump reveals the hatred of the nominee among the right-winged news media.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/03/01/donald-trump-and-america-s-sewer-politics-campaign-beyond-embarrassment.html

Trump - Saturday Night Live

This segment from SNL is so spot-on about Trump (first 3 minutes, but the whole thing is funny), it's crazy. The scary thing is that while it's hilarious, it's extremely accurate. This is how Trump really is when he speaks. Everyone loves him, he kicks people out, etc. He always says a whole lot of nothing at the debates and his events. He always repeats the same phrases and cliches and it seems like the whole thing to him is one big show. I mean, how many previous presidential candidates have joked about their penis size?

But that's why he receives the most attention from the likes of FOX and CNN, because while they may not always agree with what he says, he's always entertaining and provides plenty of material. Trump grabs people's attention, both good and bad. Not too many news outlets have publicly expressed their dissatisfaction as a corporation, because it simply wouldn't be a good business move to not cover his campaign at all.

Like John Oliver, SNL does a great job of both spoofing Donald Trump for comedic purposes, but actually keeping the viewer up-to-date with what's happening with both the Republican and Democratic races, if they haven't otherwise paid attention.

Trump and disability

Many have seen the news clip of Donald Trump mocking a New York Times reporter who has a visible physical disability, and the follow up in news media where Trump denies even knowing the reporter. The Daily Beast wrote an article examining Trump's history of discrimination against the disabled in policies related to his business dealings.

They say the measure of a nation's greatness is found in how it takes care of those who cannot take care of themselves. In treating the disabled as second class citizens, Trump shows a horrifying glimpse of how he would treat those who require accommodation for physical and other disabilities.

Jesse Matthew to Accept Plea Deal

On Feb. 29, it was reported on the WTVR CBS 6 Richmond website that Jesse Matthew, who was a suspect in the murders of Hannah Graham and Morgan Harrington will enter a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. Graham was murdered in September of 2014, while Harrington was murdered  in October of 2009.  After further investigation, Matthew was charged with first degree murder on September 15, 2015. This story has been followed by many other different media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, NBC News, along with newspapers such as the New York Daily News.
   
In the article on the CBS 6 website about Jesse Matthew, there were tweets shown in the article from one of the authors of the article, Laura French breaking the news that Matthew will enter a plea deal. Other tweets from French include a picture that shows the date of the hearing from the Commonwealth’s attorney’s office, along with French tweeting that plea talks had been in the works for a few weeks. Also written in the article was the fact that the plea deal came as a surprise to many people and that both families of the victims support the plea agreements. In the article, there is a video of French reporting outside the courtroom that was broadcasted on CBS 6.

This story was also written about on CNN’s website under the title Jesse Matthew expected to enter plea agreement, prosecutor says. This article differentiates from the CBS 6 article as it includes quotes from the Albermarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney Robert Tracci. The CNN article also mentions Matthew’s former occupation of being a cab driver, as well as the fact that Matthew was sentenced to three life sentences by a judge in 2015 for sexually assaulting a woman in 2005. This information was not mentioned in the CBS 6 article. The article on CNN also shows pictures of Graham and Harrington, and also includes reaction from Harrington’s mother where she said that “There are no winners here.” Below the photo of Morgan Harrington, there are details of how she was a 20-year-old who was a junior at Virginia Tech. And how she disappeared from a concert on October 17, 2009. Her body was discovered on January 26, 2010 and her death was ruled a homicide.

This story appears in the New York Daily News under the title Jesse Matthew to plead guilty to murders of U. Va. coeds Hannah Graham, Morgan Harrington in deal to avoid death penalty. The story on the Daily News website is from the Associated Press. This article mentions the fact that not only was Matthew a former cab driver, but he used to work in a hospital at the University of Virginia. This article goes into detail of how Graham disappeared in September of 2014, and discusses how she was seen on surveillance camera walking unsteadily with Matthew walking with her. Also mentioned is that her body was found on an abandoned property five weeks after she disappeared.

While the article on CNN discusses how Harrington and Graham disappeared, the Daily News article elaborates on that and states that Graham’s body was found six miles away from where Harrington’s body was found in 2010. That is what led investigators to believe that Matthew was connected to both murders. The Daily News article also mentions that after police named Matthew a person of interest in Graham’s murder, Matthew disappeared but was found by police on a beach in Texas.

The three websites that wrote articles on this story had some similarities and differences. There was no bias involved since nobody would be disputing the fact that Matthew should be going to prison for life for what he has done. The articles published on the CNN website and the New York Daily News focuses on Matthew’s past as he committed other crimes such as sexual assault and was also accused of rape. The two articles also mention details of how both Graham and Harrington disappeared. While the article on CBS 6 does touch on Matthew’s past. The article mainly focuses on the initial reaction of Matthew taking the plea just to avoid the death penalty. This story will continued to be followed as the hearing where Matthew is scheduled to enter a plea deal is on Mar. 2.
   
   
Sources: French, Laura. "Jesse Matthew Likely to Enter Plea Deal in Graham, Harrington Cases to Avoid Death Penalty." WTVRcom. CBS 6, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016. 

  Shoichet, Catherine E. "Jesse Matthew Expected to Enter Plea Agreement." CNN. Cable News Network, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.

"Jesse Matthew Will Plead Guilty to Murders of U. Va. Coeds." NY Daily News. Associated Press, 29 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Mar. 2016.   http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/jesse-matthew-plead-guilty-murders-u-va-coeds-article-1.2548070?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fblogs%2Ffantasyhuddle+%28Blogs%2FFantasy+Huddle%29