Post it, tweet it, broadcast it: how to counter racism in an age of social media

An op-ed I wrote in response to a worried mother's questions about the state of racism in the US toward Asians.

Read the original at the South China Morning Post here.

See the full article here.

The Lie About College Diversity

Bruni wrote an article in the Times the other day about the true problem with college diversity. He writes that diversity is not just about creating racially and socioeconomically diverse student bodies, but about how to integrate students after matriculation. The issue, as he sees it, is that students self segregate naturally. 

It would be great if colleges provided opportunities for greater communication and integration, as he suggests. But in my experience, self-segregation happens on a level outside of the university's control. Friendships are formed around fun and play; some students play with a lot of money, and some must play with less. Students segregate on the basis of what they can afford: those who can fly on a jet to Europe during spring break will do so and solidify their friendships. Those who cannot will not, and will solidify their friendships in other ways. Those who shop at luxury stores between classes will do so together. Those who cannot, or who do not care about such things, will not.    

Friend groups form on the basis of value more than race. Value can easily come from one's race and ethnic background, which is why it's so easy to join a cultural organization on campus and feel a sense of unity. But value can also come from class, and often times it does so more and more, the higher one's socioeconomic class. A very wealthy black or asian student may share more values with a similarly wealthy white student, rather than with a poor student of the same race.

During my college career, there were few extracurricular groups that fully sponsored fun for its members. My a cappella group was one that did provide financing for students with need to go on international tours (one reason why I donate specifically to the group every year). Another similar a cappella group at Harvard also fully sponsors all of its singers to go on an annual summer worldwide tour. These groups are funded privately, and have a rich history, which is part of the reason why its members, all brought together through a shared value, their love of music and performance, have the unique opportunity to socialize equally.  

This is all to say that Bruni is right in pointing out an issue, a lack of diversity within the university, but wrong about the cause or solution. Programming, discussion groups, or student centers may help slightly, but diversity of interaction between 18 year olds on the same campus is ultimately a class issue - an issue that starts for many students and their families long before the university comes into the picture, and which oftentimes the university can do little to solve. 

I Said We’d Never Hire a College Admissions Adviser. Then We Did.

A fun article in the NYTimes about a mother who always swore she would never hire a college advisor then ended up hiring one. A lesson in never saying "never." The writer highlights the less obvious reasons why parents might want to hire help: a third party pushes and prods and questions the student, allowing the parents to play the role of support as opposed to nagging adversary. An adviser can hear the student objectively, talk to him objectively, and offer a new and better informed perspective.

See the article here.

College Essays about $$$ Featured in the NYTimes

The NYTimes has rerun its application essay contest, Students and Money, and has published a few essays that they liked. 

Read them here.

I have to say, they are all great. But my favorite line was the ending of the fourth one, about her mother's hands. That sentence is really quite lovely, and a surprise, both in terms of meaning and rhythm.

Because that essay was one of my favorites, I'll do an analysis of the entire essay's structure below and see if we can reveal the skeleton, which you can try to use as an exercise when writing your own. :) Notice especially, how tight the essay is, and how well the theme of "hands" is integrated frequently throughout. 

Paragraph A: Introduction of Subject (Intro also serves as a small mirror of the larger essay's structure) 

1. Using synechdoche / figurative language to introduce the subject of the essay and also the subject's relationship/function to the writer.
2. Another sentence full of sensory language that serves to further add detail about the subject that is relevant to moving along the essay's topic (the fact that the mother works in a kitchen hints at her labor-intensive work).
3. A sentence that connects thematically to the paragraph (tears) but reveals the conflict/change to come.

Paragraph B: Introduction of Problem

1. Reason for problem
2. Restating problem in a different, also sensory way, using technique used in A1, via the theme of "hands" and the same figurative language technique.
3. Sensory detail, extension of problem via hands imagery.

Paragraph C: Effect of the Problem - Conflict

1. Effect of problem on writer (with a positive bent).
2. Effect of problem on writer (with a different, more negative bent).
3. Extension, with more detail - an example of why the writer was affected negatively.
4. Another example.
5. Larger view of the problem; rephrasing the problem as not a problem, viewing the situation with understanding and perspective.

Paragraph D: Restatement 

1. Summary of the effect of the problem - via theme of "hands."
2. Larger analysis of the problem in relation to society / America.

Paragraph E: Crisis & Resolution

1. Setting up the crisis with specifics of time/place. Introducing the problem.
2. Continuance of the action - building tension. Expanding action signals its significance.
3. Action, calling back to previous ideas (strong woman brought to weakness)
4. Action, hint at the cause of the crisis (phone), another reference to the theme (fist/hands).
5. Revelation of cause.
6. Reaction to understanding the cause.
7. Reaction to cause, marking growth and change both in time and in action. Appeals to emotions.
8. Effect of reaction. Appeals to emotions.
9. Summary of change that occurred.
10. Summary of growth that inspired the change. 
11. Thematic understanding based on the problem, crisis, & resolution, stated through the imagery of the theme, hands.