Week of Sept. 29-Oct. 3

This week's topic range included: a book review over "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals," by Jane Meyer, class discussion about the effect race has on police officer response time and and in-class screening of the film SA-I-GU (1993). The breadth of topics discussed provided a wide base notonly for class discussion, but also for reflection. 

In the book review by journalist Tim Rutten, he speaks Jane Meyer's book and goes into depth about some of the topics included herein. He says, quoting Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis from some 80 years ago, "'THE greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding" (Rutten). He goes on to speak about how these words have never been more relevant, especially in light of this being an election year. 

In class we discussed the Rodney King case in connection with the video, SA-I-GU. Both cases occurred in Los Angeles and in both cases, the police were not performing up to their standards (in the case of King, resulting in his physical abuse). In the video, Korean shop owners are shown expressing discomfort and disbelief over the Los Angeles Race Riots that concumed KoreaTown. The video shows multiple police officers leaning against their cars and watching the riot unfold in the street before them while they chat with their fellows and consume donuts. In the film, there is footage of many of the Korean members of the population marching towards Town Hall to issue a formal complaint and to request that all their funds be reimbursed. 

Los Angeles has been the center of many race related riots/events that have grabbed national attention in recent memory. It is interesting to note, therefore, that the syllabus iuncludes the brilliant film about Angelenos and how their lives interweave, Crash (2004).