Note Taking & Listening: Gentrification Media & Drugs

Background & Foreground: Today we are going to watch a short film that you should have already viewed for homework.  We are also going to listen to two radio segments. In the first, architecture critic Justin Davidson discusses gentrification in terms of best practices.  The second is a story about prescription pill use on Staten Island. Below are some prompts designed to help you do two things: listen carefully and record your observations.  So take notes as you listen.  Then, after we discuss the media respond to the prompts.  I am collecting it at the end of class; it’s worth 10 points.

Part I: “My Brooklyn”

Describe the tone of the tour Rahsun Houston provided the filmmaker Kelly Anderson.

What do you think Bender would say about this video?

What do you think Colson Whitehead would have to say about this video?

Houston used the word “rich.”  Look it up now in your Merriam Webster App.  What other meanings could “rich” have in this context of Houston’s tour?

Part II: Is Gentrification All Bad?

Justin Davidson says the word gentrification has a “moral charge.”  Explain what you think that phrase means.

Describe the two factors that characterize Davidson’s perspective of gentrification.

Describe your takeaway from the story of Manny Ramirez, the pharmacist owner.

Part III: Staten Island & “Blues”

Describe the Staten Island teens that were interviewed for this segment.

What’s your response to the reaction of the pharmacists after watching the “Blue” video?

Identify the demographic that receives the largess of painkiller prescriptions?  What’s your response to this?

Describe the message of the “Blue” song.

In your view, does the end of the video support or contradict the song’s message as you interpret it?  Explain.