Dear People of the World (formerly Dear Americans)

I rented DVD of the old time TV Mini-Series "Roots." It was aired in 1977. The story is based on Alex Hailey's novel. He wrote the story of generations of his family going back to late 18th century when an African tribe boy, Kunta Kinte was born. Kunta Kinte was captured by slave merchants and transported to America.

He was sold as slave to the plantation owner. He tried to escape but in vain. Then he left an offspring. Generation after generation, a story of Kunta Kinte was succeeded to an author, Alex Hailey. Between Kunta Kinte and Hailey, the family experienced enormous oppression by American society.

More than 10 years ago, when I was a college student, I took the course titled "Black Studies." It was very interesting course, the most interesting of all I took in my college days. A Black woman was an instructor. The below is what I learned.

1. Anything what you learn outside Black Studies is white studies.

2. Whenever you type "black", you have to capitalize the first letter "B." Don't care about "white."

3. U.S. doesn't want to provide Black people good education. Even the schools are integrated, the school districts are divided by racial residential areas. In the slavery time, it was illegal to teach Blacks how to read. It is easier for whites to control Black people when Blacks are uneducated.

4. Founding fathers, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson were hypocrats because they owned slaves.

5. Christianity is not good religion because churches supported the slavery in the South, and didn't even treat Blacks better than other people.

6. IQ tests are culturally biased towards East coast white people. That is why Black students scored less than white students. IQ tests cannot be a good tool to measure one's intelligence. When someone talks about intelligence, ask him or her what the definition of it. In fact, there is no such thing. Very ambiguous.

7. Whites may be fearful of Black people because they do not want to know they are inferior to Blacks in terms of intelligence and human body conditions.

8. According to the Cress Theory, the anscestors of whites were albinos of Africans who later migrated to Europe.

9. In the past, it was believed that first man on earth was born in Europe, not in Africa because they did not admit Africans were the anscestors of whites. Now they say whites are advanced creatures of Africans. They twisted the theory not to give up their supremacy.

Her lectures were very radical so she had been criticized even by African students in class. I did not agree with all of what she taught. But I learned very important things. I learned how to counter ridiculous things in the world, how to overcome oppressions. Everyone is biased and everything in the world is political. Nothing is neutral, even in the academics.

Thanks for Black Studies, I survived in this hell.

I rented a TV drama series DVD "Flipper" this week. What I rented is not original 1960's series, it was 1995 version of it.

In 1960's version, one park warden and his two sons, Sandy and Keith and a dolphin, Flipper were the main characters. In 1995 version, the main character was grown-up Keith, who became a marine biologist and managed a university's research facility. Keith was acted by Brian Wimmer. Jessica Alba was among the cast.

The stories were messy and unrealistic. That is basically kids' show, but the good things for all viewers were the beautiful scenaries and cute dolphins. 

I guess Brian Wimmer may be one of major attractions of the drama. In every episode, his half naked body appeared, and in the very first episode, he totally became naked and swam in the dolphins' pool. Targeted viewers may include adult women and gay men.

 I've been to Florida a long time ago when I was a college student in U.S. I went there on spring vacation. My brother came over from Japan. We stayed in Miami, and visited Key West. I ate crabs in Miami. I visited Hemingway's house and scuba-dove in the Key West ocean. Unfortunately I could not meet any dolphin. The below photo was taken at Southernmost point symbol with my brother in the Key West.

Florida was fun place to visit. I love tropical oceans and beach. When I become an elderly person, I will live in the tropical place like Florida, or Hawaii.

That is what I felt.

I read the book and saw the movie which Robert Redford was in. I was never impressed by the story. Actually boring.

It is interesting to note the original novel was published in 1920's. It was Golden Age before Great Depression era.

Maybe the author wanted to criticize America's materialism.

Daisy Buchanan, whom Gatsby longed for years might symbolize that materialism.

But that materialism was after all, illusion. "American Dream" which you call.

Now in the U.S. more than 30 million people are in hunger and 45 million don't have medical insurance.  

Poor young people are being recruited by the military and sent to fight in Iraq. They do not have other jobs. After they come back home from the battlefield, they become homeless.

America is not rich country any more.

Following "Dear Canadians" Series, this post is for other English speaking people than Americans. This time is for Britons. Actually the home country for English language. But the fact of the matter is English used worldwide is American. I've heard from one British guy, American English is Shakespear's era's. British English is in fact more advanced.

Anyway, the topic of the post is my favorite British book, "A Little Princess." It was written by Francis Hodgson Burnett. The story took place in 19th century London. A rich man's daughter named Sara Crewe entered Girls' Dormitory school. She had received special treatment by the school. But when the news that her father died and lost all of his fortune came, her life drastically changed.

The interesting point is Sara was a very unrealistic character, how could a girl raised in such a wealthy environment be so nice to anybody? That should not happen in real life. The point is people around her were very realistic. Miss Minchin, a principal of the school who treated her like a slave after the death of her father was very realistic character that you can find anywhere in the world such as your boss in your company.

People are greedy. That is the very lesson I learned from this book when I first read in my childhood. In other words, you can't be arrogant even when you are very rich and powerful. Your life can be easily changed by the current.

The book also gave me a negative image of British people like cold-blooded, and feudal minded. Maybe that is not true any more. The story is 19th century.

The story is very popular in Japan among children since it was made into cartoon programs. Visit and see the show if you are interested.