Less Is Not Better
I came across a political cartoon by Ted Rall in the Opinion LA section of the LA Times from February 2, 2011. I thought it apropos to use for my blog this week in light of the upcoming rally to protest the inevitable slashing of classes at our community college:
According to Gerberg, editorial cartoons relay instantaneous communication of a funny idea. I must admit, this particular cartoon does not make me laugh; it makes me shake my head in disgust because of its reality. Our Antelope Valley Community College is one of the 112 community colleges in post-secondary educational institutions that served more than three million students this past year, a figure that rose by 400,000 over the past five years. Yet, in the next two years these campuses will face budget cuts from $840 million up to $1 billion. So much for moms returning to school, eh?
He goes on to point out several other elements of editorial cartoons (EC) that I see present in this picture:
· An EC implies what might happen next. It can be implied by noticing all the “closed” signs in the background and the man displaying all the digital classes in his overcoat that education will be more expensive, as well as taught outside the campus environment.
· When we look at this EC we see a modern mini drama unfolding right before our eyes. It depicts the current battle that is being waged between administration and teachers/students.
· The cast of the EC, being the female student and the man selling classes, are specific and easily recognized. The girl is holding her coffee, something you often see on campus. The man looks very sketchy, very gangster-like, which characterizes the actions of those at the top who seek to steal education from the public.
· Of course, dialogue is a critical element of the EC, although one could ascertain the intent of the author by looking at other elements in the picture. It is specific to this level of education; Algebra 202, European Lit 104…The setting is also in a specific place, that being a student service building, and Rall does a good job of illustrating how it will look after Sacramento has its way. Every area has a closed sign on it. I especially enjoyed the “all out” label on philosophy. Whose system of values are we entertaining by raising the price of education while at the same time offering fewer classes? The other good one was the sign on the bursar. It seems ironic that so many people are basically giving everything they have to education to the point that it seems as though they are paying for school with their own blood. That won’t be good enough in the days to come, so the cartoon “says”.
· The operative element in the cartoon is the sign hanging that says “Registration.” Gerberg calls this a visual cliché, something that the cartoonist violates in his drawing. If Brown gets his way, the sign might as well be taken down.
That comic made me chuckle a bit but at the same time I also shook my head. I chuckled because it is true and I shook my head because I’m affected by this crisis. The whole budget cut issues really really bothers me. I know that I cannot do anything about it since I do not have the control over it. But it sadness me as well since it is slowing me down. I have been waiting 2 years to get my anatomy class; and that’s the only class that I need. I have been crashing every class but no luck. I get so frustrated that those who failed the class back then crashed again were picked from the lottery. I wish to apply for Long Beach for my BSN this fall, but since there is no anatomy class this summer I feel like that I’m screwed. I have no idea how long I’m going to be stuck here. I might as well add a minor or another major just so that I can transfer out and at least get something done. I do not want to wait 2 years to get anatomy class and then another 2 years to finish my schooling. I might as well become a doctor who stayed in school for 8 years. And as for the parents who wishes to go back to school for a better career, I’m really sorry that all of you are also held back because of this crisis.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that many of us are bothered by this "recent" development brought upon us by our wonderful state legislature but my question is what are we planning to do about it? I thought the comic was appropriate and I also chuckled because of the situation being depicted, but I also thought to myself that students do that already... It is sad but people "hold" spots for money in classes. Students with priority registration hold a spot for their buddy(ies) with open registration, for a "small" fee of course.
ReplyDeleteDespite these unfair actions I cannot help but think this is what we need to resort to, to obtain our education. Now, isn't that sad? We have been quiet, we have been complacent, we have protested, but what about actually making an impact? Last I checked we normal folks the students and teachers out number the politicians, school officials, and any other individual(s) who are apart of this plight. Knowing this what is it going to take for us to stand up and show the system that we will not go quietly, that we will not roll over and take it without repercussion. I feel that time is now, as a collected student body if we united and decided that enough was enough I am sure that an example would encourage others. It would affirm everyone's beliefs and others would follow, yes it would be difficult but is anything in life that is worth having easily obtained?
I apologize for ranting about this in your comment box but I found that this joke was "too soon" it got me kind of hot to realize that our future students are no longer going to have the opportunities that we are having. I look forward to seeing whoever cares about their education tomorrow for our protest.