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Wes Moore Chapters 4-6

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  (Wu Tang Clan, One of my favorite rap groups) Growing up in the 80s, Wes was exposed to a cultural shift that would change the world forever; Hip Hop. Hip hops influence is still felt throughout the world today, and when it was first coming out of the streets of New York, the youth was going mad. The new sounds, lyrics, and personas of these rappers made Hip Hop attractive to the youth. Wes Moore was very fond of Hip Hop because he felt like he could relate to the lyrics and what they were talking about. Personally, I can relate to Wes 100%, because I love Hip Hop as well. Im not just talking about rap music today, Im talking about the old boom bap Hip Hop where rappers were allowed to say the craziest, mind boggling things. Music has played an extremely important role in my life, and I actually wanted to be a musician before I started designing. I love music so much because it can make you feel so many different emotions. Although I mostly listened to rap, I have listened to a p...
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Wes Moore

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Gabriel Diaz (I will refere to the author Wes Moore as Wes Moore 1, the other gentleman is Wes Moore 2) In the book, both of the Wes Moore's had a similar upbringing but ended up in totally different situations due to their decision making and being in different environments. I can completely relate to their stories and I had a bunch of friends that ended up in Wes Moore 2's situation. In my previous article I discussed my decision to distance myself from people who didn't want to go down the same path as me, and I believe this greatly altered my life path. If I would have kept up my behavior, I don't know where I would be right now and Im glad I made the decision to stay out of trouble and focus on my goals. Everyone that comes from the inner city (specifically poor areas) has had to make hard decisions at some point in their life. Whether its to continue onto college after high school, drop out of high school to provide for their family, or join a gang. These were the...
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Are We Products of Our Environment or Expectations ?

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Gabriel Diaz  After reading Wes Moores book, it made me reflect on how I grew up and I could completely relate to the story. Instead of trying to explain being a product of our enviornment/expectations, Ill give you an insight into my life and hopefully you'll put the pieces together. Growing up in the inner city, I have always heard about being "a product of my environment" and falling into the traps that many kids fall into. Up until now, I have never thought about being a product of my expectations. It makes sense; if the people around you expect you to do something, your more likely to fulfill that expectation. If you expect to be like your older sibling or your parent, you will most likely follow in their footsteps. I have seen countless examples of kids falling victim to their own expectations, and I was almost one of them.     Growing up, I always seemed to surround myself with the "wrong crowd" but I did not believe in such a  thing. I vividly remember k...
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Is Fast Food the New Tobacco? Should the obesity issue be government regulated or remain personal responsibility?

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     Obesity has been a problem in America since the early 1990's, and it is still prevalent throughout the United States today. 40% of adult Americans are considered obese, and this number just keeps rising. The American Diet is probably the worst diet on the planet, and mass media, along with good advertisement keeps these fast food industries flourishing. Many people compare fast food to tobacco, and I think that is the perfect analogy. Fast food is extremely cheap and addicting, and when you eat it, the food stimulates the brain the same way as addictive drugs such as cocaine. By no means am I saying that cocaine and fast food have the exact same effects on a human, but they definitely have some similarities. Unlike cocaine, fast food is cheap, easily accessible, and normalized by society. Fast food chains like McDonalds show no remorse for the disgusting, unhealthy food they serve on a daily basis, and it seems like they have a new ad campaign or receive more funding...
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Is Pop Culture Good For You

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                                                                         Is Pop Culture Good For You ? Gabriel Diaz     If I was writing this blog 20 years ago I would have said that pop culture is a great thing. Many people have enjoyed the entertainment they derived from pop culture, and pop culture shapes the way people understand reality today. The reason why I don't believe pop culture today is a great thing, is because of the watered down, stereotypical, social media driven society that we live in today. Most parents believe that social media has a direct impact on how they have to raise their kids, and I think that's very sad. Although I am not completely opposed to pop culture, because I do believe it has some great impacts on s...
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Gabriel Diaz Literacy

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Hello! My name is Gabriel Diaz and I am a freshman majoring in business management. I enjoy traveling, making clothes, learning about art, and collaborating with my friends on their clothing brands/anything artistic. Art/fashion has always been a huge part of my life, and people are usually pretty surprised that I don't go to an art school. I chose not to because I would much rather learn how to run a successful business and put myself in a position to eventually run my own fashion house and art gallery. I took this class because I was interested in the conversations that might be had in a class like this, but unfortunately we won't be meeting on zoom every week. I am still excited for this course because I enjoy discussing current world issues and I hope that this semester goes smoothly even though we won't be meeting up on zoom.  These are some photoshoots that I have been apart :     Literacy has always been a huge part of my life, and I can remember seeing my mot...
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