YOYO English Club

Hello, everyone. It’s me again, Robert! Tonight we are going to discuss the movie that I believe everyone must have seen—“the Blind Side.” If you haven’t seen it, you can also join our discussion. Use your imagination and tell us what you think about the movie. After all, we are here mainly to practice English. Just relax and enjoy the moments of talking in English!

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Plot
"The Blind Side" depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

Review
When the story carries the ball
By Ann Hornaday
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

There's been something off-putting about the ad campaign for "The Blind Side," a drama about a white woman who adopts an African American high school student, from trailers trafficking in nearly every troubling African American stereotype in movies (from the Magical Negro to the surly low-level bureaucrat), to posters featuring the patronizing image of Sandra Bullock gently leading her looming, gentle giant of a son down a football field.

It turns out that "The Blind Side" is much better than its ads, largely because it's based on the true story of Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Grounded in the direct, disarming truth of their experience, the movie has a straightforward lack of cheap sentiment that saves it from being either too maudlin or saccharine-sweet. Bullock, making a comic-dramatic play for "Erin Brockovich" territory, is perfectly suited to play the tart, no-nonsense Leigh Anne, who, when she sees Oher (Quinton Aaron) walking alone on a cold, rainy Memphis night, spontaneously invites him to stay with her family.

What ensues is the kind of entertaining uplift Hollywood does best, its dramatic elements leavened by frequent moments of comedy (mostly at the hands of Leigh Anne's precocious youngest son, played by Jae Head) and stirring sports sequences. If viewers may experience a twinge of misgiving about the issues of race and class that are elided in "The Blind Side," they can't help but be enormously entertained and moved by its irresistible story. Especially in the film's soaring, triumphant final moments, viewers get the sense that this isn't a story about race or redemption or the complexities of class and culture. It's a story about the authentic, compassionate response to vulnerability and need. It's a story about family.

cited from http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/movie ... reviewNum1

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Questions for Session One:
1. Why is the movie entitled as “the Blind Side”? Is Chinese translation “攻其不備” right for the English one?
2. If you were Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), would you take in a stranger like Michael Oher?
3. What are the most touching parts of the movie for you?

Questions for Session Two:
4. In this movie, the Tuohys, the white family, open their arms to Michael Oher, a black man. Do you consider racial discrimination a serious issue in American society?
5. Have you ever met with racial discrimination in other countries while traveling?
6. In your life, have you met anyone that gave you a helping hand and had changed your life since then?

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Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings and free talk among members and guests /taking individual orders/getting newcomers' information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50pm discussion session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:10pm summarization (20 mins)
8:10 ~ 8:15pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:15 ~ 8:25pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:25 ~ 9:05pm discussion session (40 mins)
9:05 ~ 9:25pm summarization (20 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers/ announcements ********************************************************************************************************************************************
聚會日期：列於該貼文主題內
聚會時間：當天請準時於 6:45 pm 到達 ~ 約 9:30 pm 左右結束
星期一聚會地點：丹堤濟南店
地址、電話：台北市濟南路三段25號 地圖 (02) 2740-2350
捷運站：板南線 忠孝新生站 3 號出口
走法：出忠孝新生站 3 號出口後，沿著巷子(忠孝東路三段10巷)走約 2 分鐘，到了濟南路口，左轉走約 2 分鐘即可看到。
最低消費： 50 元


注意事項：
1. 文章是否需要列印請自行斟酌，但與會者請務必自行列印 Questions for discussion。
2. 與會者請先閱讀過文章，並仔細想過所有的問題，謝謝合作！

給新朋友的話：
1. 請事先準備 2~3 分鐘的英語自我介紹；會議結束前可能會請你發表 1~2 分鐘的感想。
2. 請事先閱讀文章以及主持人所提的討論問題，並事先寫下自己所欲發表意見的英文。
3. 全程以英語進行，參加者應具備中等英語會話能力，對任一討論問題，能夠以 5 到 10 句英文表達個人見解。
4. 在正式加入之前，可以先來觀摩三次，觀摩者亦須參與討論。正式加入需繳交可退還之保證金 NT$1,000。
5. 想要參與聚會的新朋友，請先跟會長 Toshi 報名，謝謝！

I myself have been curious about the Chinese title, 攻其不備, as well. I tried to recall the storyline but couldn't figure out any cues implying this Chinese title. I searched the internet and found this puzzle trapped some of its audiences too,
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php ... 440406&p=5
FYI.

Since I am not a (an American) football fan, either can I defense the justification of this Chinese title, however, if we have to vote, probably I may vote No.

Besides being a story with American football as the background, the word "blind" in "blind side" also refers to how the story-plot transcends racial boundary. The football part of the story is actually just a sideshow. This movie/title serves as a reminder that in a pluralistic society, how we often choose to ignore or turn a blind-eye on those groups of people with background that differs from us. Unfortunately, there is no racial connotation in the phrase "攻其不備"

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/turn ... d-eye.html

Dear All participants of today's meeting


I mentinoned in the meeting that "blindside" is actually a verb. For your information as below

blindside [transitive] American English informal
1 to hit the side of a vehicle with your vehicle in an accident: Their car was blindsided by a bus at the intersection.
2 to give someone an unpleasant surprise: I was blindsided by his suggestion.


Michael

Source: 隱藏的邏輯 - 前言 找出隱藏的邏輯

一九七○年代早期，絕大部分的人似乎都相信，社會上種族隔離的現象，和種族歧視大有關係。在美國的很多大城市，如紐約、芝加哥等，黑人大多聚居於城市中心，過著極度貧窮的生活；白人則住在相對較為富裕的郊區。研究發現，在商業領域、僱傭、待遇及升遷上，普遍存在著種族偏見，房地產業更是想盡辦法，不讓黑人住進白人的住宅區。種族歧視和隔離現象的關連性，似乎顯而易見。儘管如此，馬里蘭大學的經濟學家謝林（Thomas Schelling）卻懷疑，種族隔離現象也許和種族歧視沒什麼關係，可能大家都忽略掉另一個比較不明顯、卻更重要的因素。

　　謝林設計了一套很特別的方法來探索自己的想法。他利用西洋棋盤和兩種不同的硬幣，西洋棋盤的方格代表房子，硬幣代表人，深色的硬幣是黑人，淺色的是白人。首先，他在棋盤上放置一樣多的深淺硬幣，然後將硬幣隨機混合，代表整個社會。接下來，他設立一些簡單的規則，來移動硬幣，他要看看硬幣的分布狀態是否會隨著時間發生變化，而有哪些假設會影響人的移動。

　　在第一個實驗裡，謝林假設每個人都有強烈的種族歧視，只要周圍有一個非我族類，就立刻搬家。他利用這個規則，逐一檢視每一枚硬幣，看看是留在原地不動，還是會搬到附近空著的方格。果然，他發現很快就出現種族隔離的現象，同類的硬幣聚集在一起。種族歧視會引發種族隔離——這是必然的。

　　但是如果我們反過來問，種族隔離一定是種族歧視造成的嗎？這就是另外一回事了。為了回答這個問題，謝林又設計出第二個實驗。這次他退一步假設，每個人都不在意和什麼種族的人為鄰，只要自己不是極少數民族就行了。謝林考慮的，是人性中的真實面；一個白人可以有黑人的朋友和同事，也不介意住在黑人居多的社區，但心理上，他還是不喜歡變成整個社區裡的「唯一」白人。這並不是我們通常所說的種族歧視心態。謝林假設，所有的人都會維持不移動，除非他們察覺到自己左鄰右舍的同一族群少於某個比例，譬如說百分之三十。

　　你可能會預期，因為每個人都樂於族群大融合，所以會維持實驗開始時的分布狀態。不過，謝林得到的結果會出乎你意料之外：硬幣最終還是隔離成壁壘分明。圖一是這個實驗的現代電腦版本，你可以看出原先均勻混合的分布，如何自然變成彼此隔離的分布，雖然沒有哪個人想造成這種結果。

　　人們不想成為社區裡的少數份子，結果反而完全破壞了社區的混合狀態，這說來還真弔詭。在一九七一年，謝林發表了一小篇論文，指出下面這個很詭異的結論——即使人們心中完全沒有種族歧視，種族隔離的現象仍舊存在，就像油和水不會混合一樣，受到某種類似物理定律的規範。

　　謝林設計的種族隔離遊戲，是社會科學的空前經典。顯然，在把種族隔離現象歸咎於種族歧視之前，最好先想想是否有其他的原因。這個實驗也傳達出一個更普遍的訊息。我們通常認為，一個團體或一群人的行為，應該直接反映出構成此團體的個人特質；如果發生暴動，一群人上街砸店燒車，我們通常會認為這是團體成員的怒氣發洩，進而尋找他們生氣的原因。但若根據謝林的實驗推論，這種想法很可能是誤導，至少有些社會事件的結果，和每個人的渴望或動機、習性或態度，並沒有什麼明顯的關連。人類社會的運作方式，無法單憑我們的直覺去解釋。

toshi 寫:Source: 隱藏的邏輯 - 前言 找出隱藏的邏輯
　　人們不想成為社區裡的少數份子，結果反而完全破壞了社區的混合狀態，這說來還真弔詭。在一九七一年，謝林發表了一小篇論文，指出下面這個很詭異的結論——即使人們心中完全沒有種族歧視，種族隔離的現象仍舊存在，就像油和水不會混合一樣，受到某種類似物理定律的規範。

　　

Hi Toshi,

For me this sounds very natural, even for the same people, different mother tongues will eventually form different communities. An example is the two towns, Chi-Shan and Mei-long, in Kaohsiung county. The towns are adjacent to each other with different mother tongues, Taiwanese and Hakka.

BTW, I'm not sure if I read it right or it's the translation issue, I don't consider "種族隔離" is an accurate term expressed here. I'm not sure if the author was using "segregation" to describe the phenomenon. The process he described is more like "聚落形成" than "種族隔離" (The same rule may apply to the manufacturing chains in industry as well). People in Chi-shan and Mei-long are still hanging out with each other. There is no segregation among them.

We had discussed prejudice before. This process could be inevitable among people unless education/rationality finally prevails.

wenhan1122 寫:

toshi 寫:Source: 隱藏的邏輯 - 前言 找出隱藏的邏輯
　　人們不想成為社區裡的少數份子，結果反而完全破壞了社區的混合狀態，這說來還真弔詭。在一九七一年，謝林發表了一小篇論文，指出下面這個很詭異的結論——即使人們心中完全沒有種族歧視，種族隔離的現象仍舊存在，就像油和水不會混合一樣，受到某種類似物理定律的規範。

　　

Hi Toshi,

For me this sounds very natural, even for the same people, different mother tongues will eventually form different communities. An example is the two towns, Chi-Shan and Mei-long, in Kaohsiung county. The towns are adjacent to each other with different mother tongues, Taiwanese and Hakka.

BTW, I'm not sure if I read it right or it's the translation issue, I don't consider "種族隔離" is an accurate term expressed here. I'm not sure if the author was using "segregation" to describe the phenomenon. The process he described is more like "聚落形成" than "種族隔離" (The same rule may apply to the manufacturing chains in industry as well). People in Chi-shan and Mei-long are still hanging out with each other. There is no segregation among them.

We had discussed prejudice before. This process could be inevitable among people unless education/rationality finally prevails.

Dear Wen-Han,

I checked the original paper published by Thomas Schelling. He used "segregation" this word.

Here you can download a scanned PDF version:
Schelling, Thomas C. 1971. "Dynamic Models of Segregation." Journal of Mathematical Sociology 1:143-186.

P.144 (the 2nd page in the PDF file), he stated:

Evidently color is correlated with income, and income with residence; so even if residential choices were color-blind and unconstrained by organized discrimination, whites and blacks would not be randomly distributed among residences.

This is not to claim that the organized discrimination or the economically induced segregation is less powerful, or less important, or less a matter of social concern, than the segregation that results from individual action. Indeed, aside from the question of which mechanism may account for the greater part of observed separation by color, the organized segregation involves civil rights; and the economically determined segregation raises questions of social equity. On those grounds alone the subject of this paper might be put in third place. Still, in a matter as important on in the United States, even third place deserves attention.

Wikipedia : Thomas Schelling

Dear Toshi,

Thanks for the information, I have downloaded the thesis and will find sometime to finish it.

Dear YoYo members,

Thanks for attending the meeting last night and thanks for Robert's hosting as well.

Attendants: Robert, Maggie, Toshi, Debby, Mountain, Timothy, Rachel, Christine Wang, Dylan, Chantel, Sean, Michael Liu, Molly, Gavin, George, Wenhan
New Comer: Carolyn
Total: 17

The following are the words we discussed this Monday:

1. Inspirational Movie: 勵志電影
2. blind flying 盲目飛行
3. a blind alley 死胡同
4. a blind spot 死角 (開車時後視鏡看不到的地方)
5. a blind school 盲人學校
6. be blind in the right eye 右眼瞎了
7. be blind to 不能察覺 (ex: be blind to one's own shortcoming 看不到自己的缺點)
8. turn a blind eye to sth. 對某事睜隻眼閉隻眼
9. sorbet 冰沙 (雪糕)
10. cheerleader squad 啦啦隊

Thank you for your discussion and information offered by Wenhan, Technobabel, Michael, and Toshi.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Robert