More Homes People Can't Afford

Did we not learn our lesson from the 2007 - 2008 financial crisis? A new "opportunity" exists for people with low-incomes to own a home, but of course, it comes will some big catches. 

Investors bought dozes of vacant, dilapidated homes around the country and are selling them with a "contract for deed, or land contract." These include high-interest loans, which are difficult to pay as is, but pile on the need to fix major problems like mold, plumbing, and electric, and people are likely to default. One homeowner, who lives on a disability check, said, "It's like one thing after another is falling apart." 

No surprise, the Akron, Ohio, housing administrator said that firms are targeting people "who do not have the financial ability to comply, nor the savvy to realize that they are being taken advantage of."

The contracts are a confusing mess. One posted on The New York Times' website is 109 pages long. 

Sadly, this reminds me of a scene in The Jungle.

Discussion Starters:  

• What lessons should we have learned from the financial crisis?
• What are the communication responsibilities and barriers in these situation? Identify both for the investors and buyers. 

Uber Pays $28M and Adjusts Safety Language

Uber has settled two lawsuits claiming the company misled consumers about safety. Charging a $2.30 fee, Uber promised to do background checks of its drivers, but the company failed to do the type of fingerprinting required for taxi drivers.

As part of the settlement, Uber will change some language in its promotions: the "Safe Ride Fee" will now be called a "Booking Fee."

In a statement, Uber reinforces its rationale for assuring passengers of safety but admits, "no means of transportation can ever be 100 percent safe. Accidents and incidents do happen." 

Discussion Starters:

• How, if at all, will the language change and financial settlement affect passengers? 
• How well does Uber explain the settlement? Of course, the company tries to spin the news positively. Does it succeed? 

More Takata Recalls

Parent company Daimler is recalling 840,000 vehicles, including 705,000 Mercedes-Benz cars. The statement title downplays the issue and blames Takata: 

"Daimler recalls approximately 840,000 vehicles in the United States as a precautionary measure due to potentially defective airbag models from manufacturer Takata"

In its statement, the company gives expenses data and assures us that the financial impact is minimal:

"Daimler AG points out that both the dividend proposal and the employees' profit participation for the successful year 2015 as well as the earnings expected for financial year 2016 remain unchanged." 

Daimler's positioning works well for the audience, and blaming Takata is a good move. The supplier is already in big trouble, with testimony from an engineer that the company hid airbag problems by changing test data and hiding parts, all while executives assured safety. During the deposition, the employee said, "'I had the data, but I wanted to go look for those parts. But when I went to look for the parts, because some of the parts had come apart, they were no longer available. They had been discarded.''

Ten deaths have been reported because of failing Takata airbags. In addition to Daimler, Honda, GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ford, and other vehicles have been recalled totaling about 24 million-so far.

Image source.

Discussion Starters: 

• Assess Daimler's statement about the recalls. Who are the primary and secondary audiences, and how well does the company address each? 
• Research Takata and look for current news. What's your prediction for the company and its executive team? 

Trump's Reaction to the Iowa Caucus

In the Iowa caucus, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump lost to Senator Ted Cruz after having a consistent lead in the polls, but he's still confident about winning the election. Analysts say his infrequent visits to Iowa and lack of campaign organizing may have hurt him. He also skipped the most recent Republican debate because of a quarrel with Fox reporter Megyn Kelly, which didn't help.

But Trump says, "I don't feel any pressure. We'll do what I have to do." He also said he's "honored" to finish second.

His tone did change in this video: he seems just a little humbled, and he compliments his opponents, which is quite different from his previous approach. The New York Times compiled "Donald Trump's Twitter Insults: The Complete List (So Far)."

Last week, Trump made headlines after Sarah Palin endorsed him, with her usual, grammatically questionable style, for example,

"When both parties, the machines involved, when both of them hate you, then you know America loves you and we do love he who will be the next president of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump!"

Discussion Starters:

• Compare this video to Trump's previous speeches. Do you notice a difference in tone? What indicates a change?
• What's your view of Trump's tweets? Is this a good political strategy, or will it eventually backfire?

22 Clinton Emails Under Scrutiny

Hillary Clinton has more email trouble: 22 messages on her private server while she was working for the State Department have been identified as "top secret" and won't be released to the public. The Clinton campaign says the emails weren't classified at the time and that the issue "appears to be over-classification run amok." This has been her defense for using a private server for these messages, which she also admitted was a mistake.

The timing, just days before the Iowa caucus, is unfortunate. Republican candidates are using the news to their advantage, although Bernie Sanders is still leaving it alone. As he said in a debate back in October, "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing America." 

NPR describes other messages that were released recently: discussions of an upcoming presidential speech, observations about Joe Biden, support for her testimony about Benghazi, and issues with the press. From NPR's excerpts, we get a sense of Clinton's work style and personality.  

Discussion Starters: 

• Should Clinton say more about this new group of emails? If so, what? 
• Now that the Democratic primary is getting close, should Bernie Sanders use this news to his advantage? What are the advantages and downsides of doing so?

Communications About Flint's Water

Flint, Michigan, is battling issues about contaminated water from aging lead pipes. Messages from the governor's office reveal conflicting strategies for dealing with the situation.

The "Flint Water" page of the Department of Environmental Quality shows a short statement from Governor Rick Snyder: "We are working closely with Genesee County and the Flint community, taking actions to immediately improve the water situation in Flint. Currently, we are focused on water testing, lead testing for children, and ensuring every home has water filters. We are also at work on long-term solutions, including follow-up care for affected residents." Before this statement, the site had a graphic claiming that the water was safe for bathing (shown here); it has since been removed. Now, an extensive list of resources appears under "Contamination Investigation."

The governor has released 274 pages of emails related to the investigation; some show officials debating responsibility for the problems.

As the controversy continues, Governor Snyder is actively communicating. On Twitter, as @onetoughnerd (!), Snyder is posting updates and links to videos and audio "townhall" calls. In the description of his State of the State address on YouTube, Snyder posted this message:

On Tuesday Jan. 19, Governor Snyder delivered a very different State of the State address.

He focused on Flint, a proud city in which residents are unable to drink the water that comes into their homes.

He acknowledged that this is unacceptable. It's a problem that we will fix, and fix quickly.

He spoke directly to the people of Flint, but also to everyone in our state and people across the country.

Discussion Starters:

• What are the governor's communication objectives at this point? Identify three or four for the public as his primary audience. 
• Assess his recent messages. How well is he meeting these objectives?
• What's your view of his Twitter handle?

More Controversy About Slavery Representation in Books

Last fall, McGraw-Hill was under fire for misrepresenting the history of slavery in the United States. Now, Scholastic publishing company is facing similar criticism about a children's book. 

A Birthday Cake for George Washington focuses on Hercules, the former president's chef, and includes pictures of his slaves smiling. The VP of Scholastic Trade Publishing defended the book in a blog post, excerpted here:

"The topic of slavery is one that must be handled with the utmost care, especially in the form of visual depictions, historical references, dialogue, and characterizations in books for young readers. In A Birthday Cake for George Washington the lives of enslaved people ― and the complex inequities of their bondage ― play a key role in the narrative. Through carefully curated research, A Birthday Cake for George Washington presents an important slice of American history. It is based on the true story of Hercules, the president's cook. Hercules was one of over 300 African Americans enslaved by George and Martha Washington. Even though he was a slave, everyone knew and admired Hercules ― especially the president!"

A Change.org petition called the book a "vile exemplification of the distortion of history" and got 928 signatures as of this writing. It was enough. 

Scholastic has since posted a "New Statement" to announce the end of book distribution and to offer refunds for purchased books. The company clearly stands by those who made the book possible, but the management team now recognizes that, "without more historical background on the evils of slavery than this book for younger children can provide, the book may give a false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves and therefore should be withdrawn." 

Discussion Starters: 

• Read the first blog post defending the book. What are the strongest and weakest arguments? 
• Did Scholastic make the right decision in pulling the book? 

Ted Cruz on Hot Seat for Campaign Funds from GS

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz didn't disclose a loan he received from Goldman Sachs for his campaign. He was a managing director at the investment bank before taking a leave to run for president.

Campaign rules dictate that candidates reveal all sources of income for a bid for office, including loans. He received between $250,000 and $500,000 from GS as a low-interest loan at the start of his campaign. Cruz's campaign is trying to explain the failure as "inadvertent" (I was waiting for "an oversight"), saying that he did disclose a money market account that included the GS loan and another from Citibank. 

Particularly troubling for Cruz is the contrast between this news and how he presented himself and his wife. He spoke in interviews about their decision to use all of their liquid savings, about $1 million, for his campaign. Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal quoted Cruz saying he wouldn't bail out "rich Wall Street banks." As the candidate tries to distance himself from Wall Street, his ties are closer than he admits.

A New York Times article also questions whether the decision with his wife happened as he described it (that she immediately agreed) and whether they did, in fact, use all of their assets: 

During 2012, they sold securities worth $82,000 to $355,000, and the value of other holdings was reduced by, at most, $155,000. . . All told, the value of their cash and securities in 2012 saw a net increase of as much as $400,000 - even as the Cruzes were supposedly liquidating everything to finance Mr. Cruz's Senate campaign."

Discussion Starters:

• Is this nit picky, or does Ted Cruz has some real explaining to do? 
• How, if at all, do you think this will affect Cruz's campaign? Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton also faced financial questions, yet the criticism seems to have blown over. 
• What else, if anything, should the Cruz campaign say at this point? Should Cruz issue a statement himself?

The #$@&%*! Golden Globes

I cut the cable cord three years ago, so I missed all of the cursing during the Golden Globes, but the language is making headlines. Comedian Amy Schumer set the stage with the first cuss word of the night (beginning with a C), according to Daily Mail, "just minutes after the show got underway."

Host Ricky Gervais continued the evening with his usual vitriol, despite saying several times,"I'm going to be nice tonight," which of course, no one expected or wanted. He started his opening monologue, drinking a glass of beer, by telling the crowd to "Shut up." In about seven minutes, Gervais insulted Caitlyn Jenner, Jeffrey Tambor, Roman Polanski, Jennifer Lawrence, and the film companies in general. The worst insults flew to Mel Gibson later on. 

The F-bombs continued throughout show, leading an LA Times writer to conclude , "The hardest-working person at Sunday night's Golden Globes ceremony may have been whoever was in charge of the bleep button."

Gervais also advised the actors who would receive awards, "Don't get emotional. It's embarrassing. Okay? That award is, no offense, worthless." Some of the more emotional speeches of the night were from Lady Gaga, Denzel Washington, and Sylvester Stallone.

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the profanity in the Golden Globes? Did it add to or detract from the night? 
• How does Gervais's opening monologue differ from roast speeches? Consider a few examples and compare the purpose, audience, and setting. 
• Do you share Gervais's opinion that people shouldn't "get emotional"? What would you advise people who accept awards?

ESPN Forgets to Identify Social Media Ads

The Federal Trade Commission's guidelines are clear: when people are paid to write social media posts that relationship must be disclosed. This applies to company employees. Two incidents this week show companies skirting those rules. 

ESPN employees tweeted about Dominos, but didn't disclose their relationship to ESPN. By law, the tweets should include #ad or #spon to identify a sponsored ad.

ESPN responded to a request by Deadspin, calling the tweets an "error": 

ESPN says this is all a mistake and that future tweets associated with Domino's ad buy with the network will be compliant with federal law. Which is fine, though we're still skeptical that New Year's Eve means either college football or pizza-and so were the millions of fans who didn't tune in for this year's college football playoff games.

Yet, a couple of days later, an ESPN journalist tweeted another advertisement. The company has argued that journalists aren't paid endorsers, and a Wall Street Journal article explains, "the issue of whether [ESPN's] roster of pundits and anchors are journalists guided by traditional editorial strictures or entertainers allowed to hawk products has been a thorny one for some time." However, Deadspin argues that Schefter and Mortensen are clearly "personalities," and the connection to the brand is clear.

This issue isn't new. The FTC admonished Cole Han for promotions on Pinterest, and I'm sure others have been caught. 

Discussion Starters:

• We could argue that identifying ads is just a technicality. Some accuse the FTC of being too snarky about social media posts. What's your opinion on the issue? 
• Would a hashtag identifying the posts as ad change your perspective on the post? How do you think fans would be influenced either way?

Twitter Updates Rules Again

After criticism that Twitter needs to do more to prevent ISIS from recruiting and spreading hate, the company has updated its site rules. ISIS managed more than 46,000 Twitter accounts between September and December of 2014. Twitter rules are categorized as Content Boundaries and Use of Twitter, Abusive Behavior, and Spam.

According to Reuters, Twitter "previously used a more generic warning that banned users from threatening or promoting 'violence against others.'" The new rules should make reporting and blocking new accounts easier. Under the subheading "Hateful Conduct," the rules specify,

"You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability or disease."

In a blog post describing the change, Megan Cristina, Twitter's director of trust and safety, writes, "Keeping users safe requires a comprehensive and balanced approach where everyone plays a role." Cristina also explains, "We believe that protection from abuse and harassment is a vital part of empowering people to freely express themselves on Twitter."

Discussion Starters:

• Read Cristina's blog post. How well does she describe the change and Twitter's ongoing commitment?
• Is the company doing enough? How much responsibility should Twitter have for "hateful conduct" on its site?

Ted Cruz's Daughters as Monkeys: "Fair Game"?

The Washington Post has retracted a cartoon depicting presidential candidate Ted Cruz's children as monkeys. 

The cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize winner Ann Telnaes, defended her cartoon:

There is an unspoken rule in editorial cartooning that a politician's children are off-limits. People don't get to choose their family members so obviously it's unfair to ridicule kids for their parent's behavior while in office or on the campaign trail- besides, they're children. There are plenty of adults in the political world who act childish, so there is no need for an editorial cartoonist to target actual children.

I've kept to that rule, except when the children are adults themselves or  choose to indulge in grown-up activities (as the Bush twins did during the George W Bush presidency). But when a politician uses his children as political props, as Ted Cruz recently did in his Christmas parody video in which his eldest daughter read (with her father's dramatic flourish) a passage of an edited Christmas classic, then I figure they are fair game.

However, The Post editor Fred Hiatt disagreed: 

It's generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it. I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.

The controversy may have given Cruz's campaign a nice Christmas jolt: so far, his family video has been watched more than 1.7 million times. 

Is any publicity good publicity? That hasn't always held true on social media, but in this case, it's working in the candidate's favor. 

And because it's Christmas, I'm reminded of Mike Huckabee's video in 2007. Some didn't appreciate the rather obvious window-pane-as-cross. 

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view? Was the cartoonist justified in including Cruz's children? 
• Was The Washington Post editor right? Should he have defied the cartoonist's position? 

Apology for "Should Be Shot" Comment

The University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld has apologized for using the expression "should be shot," in this case, referring to faculty who are unprepared. An email exchange between the president and a librarian shows a respectful interaction but indicates a reluctant apology. 

The librarian, Lisa Gardinier, initiated a long email, calling his use of the term "flippant" and "horrifying and unacceptable" given "the tense atmosphere of racist law enforcement violence." She also criticized his "rambling, unfocused" talk-a bit harsh, in my view, but I don't have to listen to him.

 

Clearly, Harreld isn't happy to hear from Gardinier, but starting a sentence with "frankly," could indicate the opposite. It's like saying "honestly"; what's the alternative? 

Later, Harreld denied saying "they should be shot" but admitted saying, "I have learned the hard way that if I ever walk into a classroom without a teaching plan, I should be shot."

As usual, this criticism is not in isolation. People were unhappy with Harreld's appointment because of his business background and questions about the hiring process. 

Discussion Starters: 

• Read the entire email exchange, starting with Gardinier's first email. How does she successfully explain her argument? Where does her email fall short?
• Should Harreld have apologized sooner and more clearly? Why or why not? 
• What's your view of the expression "should be shot"? Should it be avoided, or is it just a harmless expression?
• Does the use of "they" or "I" make a difference?

Nestle Addresses Worker Abuse

A non-profit organization commissioned by Nestle has exposed worker abuse in the Thailand seafood industry, which includes fish sold by the company. The report is titled, "Recruitment Practices and Migrant Labor Conditions in Nestlé's Thai Shrimp Supply Chain: An Examination of Forced Labor and other Human Rights Risks Endemic to the Thai Seafood Sector."

Business Insider explains the abuse: 

The laborers come from Thailand's much poorer neighbors Myanmar and Cambodia. Brokers illegally charge them fees to get jobs, trapping them into working on fishing vessels and at ports, mills and seafood farms in Thailand to pay back more money than they can ever earn.

"Sometimes, the net is too heavy and workers get pulled into the water and just disappear. When someone dies, he gets thrown into the water," one Burmese worker told the nonprofit organization Verite commissioned by Nestle.

"I have been working on this boat for 10 years. I have no savings. I am barely surviving," said another. "Life is very difficult here."

Nestle has responded by restating its commitment:  

"As we've said consistently, forced labor and human rights abuses have no place in our supply chain. Nestle believes that by working with suppliers we can make a positive difference to the sourcing of ingredients."

In an action plan posted on its website, Nestle reports on "pre-requisites achieved in 2014 - 2015" and identifies objectives for 2015 - 2016 summarized in this infographic: 

Discussion Starters: 

• Assess the infographic against principles in Chapter 10. Which are followed, and how could the graphic be improved? 
• Do the same for the Verite report. Consider the format, design, content choices, organization, writing style, and so on. 

McDonald's Video: Nutrition Advice or Infomercial?

McDonald's has created a 19-minute video, "540 Meals: Choices Make the Difference," which the company says is an educational video about nutrition. Others call it an infomercial or, as a Fortune writer put it, "a slickly produced McDocumentary." McDonald's encourages showing the film in schools and provides a Teachers Discussion Guide to help. 

The star of the film is John Cisna, an Iowa teacher who lost 60 pounds on a McDonald's-only diet. (Remember Super Size Me?) Cisna reminds me of Subway's Jared, which didn't work out too well in the end. 

McDonald's is hosting McTeacher's Nights, where teachers, students, and parents serve McDonald's food, and part of the revenue goes to a school fundraising campaign. Since 2013, McDonald's has contributed more than $2.5 million to schools from these nights. 

Educators in a group called Corporate Accountability International call the practice "exploitative." In a letter to McDonald's, organizations and individuals write, in part, 

"It is wrong to enlist teachers to sell kids on a brand like McDonald's whose core products are burgers, fries, and soda. Marketing junk food to children is a harmful practice. We are in the midst of the largest preventable health crisis in the U.S. -- one that is spreading throughout the world, and that increasingly affects children. If this trend is not reversed, many children will be burdened with diet-related diseases like obesity and Type 2 diabetes, affecting their heath for life."

Discussion Starters:

• What's your view of McDonald's video and the McTeacher's Nights? 
• What principles of persuasion does the education group use in its letter to the company? Try to identify examples of pathos, logos, and ethos. 

More Trouble for Volkswagen

Volkswagen is facing a new wave of inquiry since the diesel emissions scandal. According to The Economist, "VW confessed that it overstated claims about the carbon-dioxide (CO₂) emissions and, thus, fuel efficiency of 800,000 cars, including, it seems, some with petrol engines."

The European Commission is asking EU countries to expand their investigation. A spokesperson for the Commission said, "Public trust is at stake. We need all the facts on the table and rigorous enforcement of existing legislation." Since the news about the cheating software, VW's stock lost more than one-third of its value. 

Now that Porsche models have also been implicated, VW's new CEO, Matthias Müller, previously head of the Porsche division, is not looking as good. As The Economist writes, the news "casts a shadow" on his role. 

Communications continue to lag. The U.S. VW site has the same tired video of Michael Horn. 

Discussion Starters:

• Did VW do the right thing by admitting the emissions under-reporting? Another strategy would have been to wait for the news to be discovered as part of the diesel software investigation. 
• What else should VW communicate at this point? Look at the U.S. website and make a few recommendations. 

Employers Discriminate on Disability

A new study showed that employers reject candidates based on disabilities discussed in a cover letter.

Researchers sent cover letters and resumes for accounting positions and found that people who mentioned either a spinal cord injury or Asperger's Syndrome received 26% fewer interview offers than those who didn't mention a disability. The rejection numbers were higher for candidates who had more experience and by companies with fewer than 15 employees (who don't need to comply with federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements).

Although some disabilities may affect job performance, the researchers chose these examples  because they would not likely impact job success in an accounting position.

The study may explain the lower employment rates of adults with disabilities: 34% compared to 74% for people without disabilities. Although the researchers say they expected some evidence of discrimination, they were surprised by the extent. The study abstract concludes,

"The overall pattern of findings is consistent with the idea that disability discrimination continues to impede employment prospects of people with disabilities, and more attention needs to be paid to employer behavior and the demand side of the labor market for people with disabilities."

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• What about the study results surprise you-or not?
• What is the employer's perspective? Why would they discriminate, particularly against more experienced applicants?

United Misses Step for Passenger with Disability

United Airlines didn't give D'Arcee Neal the access and assistance he needed. Neal, who has cerebral palsy, had asked for a wheelchair, which was available for him but then removed for some reason. Neal needed to use a restroom and, according to CNN, "crawled up the aisle and to the gangway, where a wheelchair was then ready." According to Neal, the flight attendants weren't helpful: "I expected them to ask to assist me, but they just stared."

United called Neal to apologize and issued this statement: 

"As customers began to exit the aircraft, we made a mistake and told the agent with the aisle chair that it was no longer needed, and it was removed from the area," the airline said in a statement. "When we realized our error-that Mr. Neal was onboard and needed the aisle chair-we arranged to have it brought back, but it arrived too late."

Neal is a disability advocate and was on his way home from a meeting in San Francisco with Uber about their accessibility policies. Although the incident relates to his work, it became public only after he posted on his Facebook page that United had apologized. He said he didn't expect any response and was surprised the company responded at all: 

"Quite frankly, I was just shocked, because this had happened a couple of times before (with various airlines), and no company had ever bothered to apologize when they've done something wrong.

Image source.  

Discussion Starters: 

• What should the flight attendants or other passengers have done differently? 
• What's your assessment of United's apology? Should the company do more at this point? 

SXSW Controversy About Gaming Panels

South by Southwest (SXSW) is taking heat for a decision to cancel two panels in the March conference. The panels were about GamerGate, which is, according to The New York Times, "a loosely connected online movement that coalesced to counteract criticism of sexism in video games and game culture." SXSW explained the decision on its website: 

As a result, BuzzFeed, Vox, and other companies have withdrawn their participation in the conference. 

In response, conference organizers wrote this brief message on the SXSW website: 

We want the SXSW community to know that we hear and understand your frustrations and concerns about the recent cancellation of two SXSW Gaming panels.

The safety of our speakers, participants and staff is always our top priority. We are working with local law enforcement to assess the various threats received regarding these sessions.

Moving forward, we are also evaluating several programming solutions as we continue to plan for an event that will be safe, meaningful and enjoyable for all involved.

We will provide more information soon.

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of the controversy? How do you interpret SXSW's decision? Did the organization do the right thing by cancelling the panels? 
• How well did the organization handle these two communications? What are the key messages you take from each? 

Grammar May Reflect View of Slavery

A Dartmouth faculty member analyzed grammatical choices in a history textbook and found bias in describing slavery. In a New York Times Op-Ed, Ellen Bresler Rockmore, a lecturer in the university's Institute for Writing and Rhetoric, wrote about the following excerpt in a section called "Texas United States History":

"Some slaves reported that their masters treated them kindly. To protect their investment, some slaveholders provided adequate food and clothing for their slaves. However, severe treatment was very common. Whippings, brandings, and even worse torture were all part of American slavery."

Rockmore points out that "slaves," "masters," and "slaveholders" are used as subjects in the first two sentences, which portray these actors positively. However, the next two sentences have no people as subjects. I will also say what is more obvious: the beginning of the paragraph, arguably the topic sentence, includes the positive portraying, downplaying whippings, etc.

In another section, actors are also omitted, and the sentence is written using passive voice: "Families were often broken apart when a family member was sold to another owner."

Rockmore also notes when "slaves" are subjects in sentences throughout the section of this textbook:

"After all, there are many sentences in which 'slaves' are the subjects, the main characters in their own narrative. But what are the verbs in those sentences? Are the slaves suffering? No, in the sentences that feature slaves as the subject, as the main actors in the sentence, the slaves are contributing their agricultural knowledge to the growing Southern economy; they are singing songs and telling folk tales; they are expressing themselves through art and dance.

"There are no sentences, in these excerpts, anyway, in which slaves are doing what slaves actually did: toiling relentlessly, without remuneration or reprieve, constantly subject to confinement, corporal punishment and death."

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of Rockmore's analysis? Is she interpreting the writing well or being overly picky? 
• What effect do you think this Texas textbook will have on students' understanding of slavery?