Weekly Discussion Paper (8)

Lana Silva

SOC 122 MW 5:30

17 May 2016



http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/13/amid_ongoing_conflict_in_syria_activists

This story focused on the current state of Syria, where there have been a series of violent attacks since ceasefire ended, killing about 300 people in the last two weeks. One such attack was when "a maternity hospital in a government-controlled section of the city was hit by rocket fire." This has led for officials in the United States and Russia to push for bringing back a nationwide ceasefire, with the hope of "restarting stalled peace talks." In addition, there are many people in Syria, who are often invisible to the media, who have been working hard to survive, organize, and "keep the revolutionary spirit of the 2011 Syrian uprising alive" in the middle of his war-time. Interestingly, these people do not see what they're doing as "humanitarian or relief work," but instead as "the backbone of the revolution." This story shows political opportunity theory because there is a lot of focus on the timing of these events. Because of the recent increase in violent attacks, it has made it a good time for the U.S. and Russia to ask to bring back ceasefire in Syria and also made it a good time for Syrian people who are making up "the backbone of the revolution" to get noticed and spread the message about their cause and reasons behind their revolution.




http://www.democracynow.org/2016/5/13/alabama_prison_strike_organizer_speaks_from

This story was about prisoners/activists in Alabama prisons who are part of the Free Alabama Movement­ that recently held a 10-day long strike, where the prisoners "refused to report to their prison jobs," beginning on International Workers Day (May 1st). In this strike, the activists were trying to raise awareness to "severe overcrowding, poor living conditions, and the 13th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bans slavery and servitude, 'except as a punishment for crime,'" making forced and unpaid labor legal, as long as it's in a prison. Prisoners, such as Kinetik Justice who spoke to Democracy Now from solitary confinement, view this prison system as a "continuation of the slave system." Prison officials retaliated against the activists by refusing to clean their dorms, showers, and laundry and by "bird feeding" them, or feeding them less than the established dietary requirements. This story shows framing theory because the prisoners framed the issue in a way making it similar to slavery and discussing their poor living conditions and treatment, as an attempt to get people emotional and get them to go join their movement, the Free Alabama Movement.