Nicole HendricksUSP 107 Final IDs Professor James Ingram “The Empire Strikes Back” Mayors Source: Lesson 18Meaning: An “The Empire Strikes Back” mayor refers to the white Republican mayor who often takes office after a mayoral minority. In cases like that of the “The Empire Strikes Back” mayor, the minority mayor failed to advance the issues he was supposed to resolve once elected. The minority mayor was elected to ameliorate racial tensions. However, the minority mayor must somehow “dilute” his position to appeal to more ethnicities, rather than just his own. Professor Ingram compared the position of a minority mayor to ethnic food in the United States. Just as ethnic food needs to be made “blander, sweeter, saltier, and less authentic” to appeal to everyone, a minority mayor doesn't have to take particularly strong stances in trying to appeal to all different races. This is what gives minority mayors the nickname “Darth Vader.” They are black on the outside to appeal to their race, and white on the inside because of his “diluted” policies. Meaning: “Darth Vader” mayors are an example of the use of systemic power. Instead of focusing more on those who consume, mayors are pushed by the system and society to focus on those who produce. This prevents the minority mayor from addressing the issues for which he was initially elected. Basterds of the Party Source: Film Lesson 17 and 18 Meaning: This film, directed by former gang member Cle Sloan, shows how racism between blacks and whites during the Civil War and the human rights movement played a significant role in forming of many Los Angeles gangs we would see today. T......middle of paper......difficult to assemble and even more difficult to store. For an interethnic coalition to continue to be successful, you must appeal to multiple intraethnic coalitions, including your own. Meaning: For a politician to move up the ranks, he usually needs to build a strong intra-ethnic coalition followed by inter-ethnic support. This can be a difficult task because the politician has to please everyone, which makes him seem "bland" to his original supporters. Pension Crisis Source: Lessons 13 and 14 and Chapter 3 of Paradise Plundered Meaning: San Diego has an unfunded pension liability of $2.1 billion. There was a choice between cutting public goods and services or raising taxes to pay for them. There are three events that have played a significant role in the pensions crisis. The first of these is the Proposition 98.