"Ain't Nobody Aks You" to be Courageous: Brian Bordainick & the 9th Ward

2/1/2013

10 Comments

 
I saw the first talk below by Brian live at the Times Center and was moved by his courage. He was only 23 when he did what he did in NOLA (New Orleans). In this five  minute speech act, he tells a great story.

The second video is longer and was earlier, a greener version of his story but with more vivid, less scripted details of his journey. I'd invite you to take 30 mins to watch this in order of the 5 min video, then the 20 min and ask yourself to notice the differences.

We might think he's a hero. And he might be. But he didn't do it alone and there are some issues about the privilege he has as a white male that we should talk about. It doesn't diminish his accomplishment. If we are going to study the political sociology of power and of courage, identity politics matter.

Comment below of what you think. At least watch the 5 min video. This is not a required assignment but is definitely worth your time inside our intentions.

I met Brian after his talk and thanked his dad for inspiring such a great citizen.

10 Comments
Anthony B. Taveras
2/2/2013 04:51:50 am

This may have been a short video, but the words that Brian Bordainick said and the messages that he gives throughout this video are just incredible. He mentions that no matter what situation or what position your community is, that there is always light. I admire that fact that he constantly sends the message about not giving up on yourself and others who are with you.
That is one thing that I feel we should all keep in mind when we are in situations, no matter what it is, that we should never give up and have faith.

Song: "Hope-Twista Feat. Faith Evans"

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Mamadou Ndoye
2/2/2013 06:48:48 am

I think Brian in this video tell us about his great deal of courage which is what we all hope to gain at the end of the semester. Brian is courageous enough to take risks in order to help develop the 9th ward section of New Orleans where other outsiders don't even come to aid those in need. Change will come if you don't give up and continue to be courageous enough to push your ideas forward.

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Silviya Lukanova
2/3/2013 04:44:46 am

I think that Brian’s story is a great example of what we spoke about in class… He was turned down by many businesses/people and he could have just given up, but thanks to his determination he kept pushing until he finally found people that were willing to join him. He’s idea might have been crazy to some but he found “crazy” enough people to support it. This comes to show that not only can courage and power find inspiration in what might seem as the most dead end situation, but they might inspire an avalanche like determination within everyone who is willing to own their courage and power.

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Daniel Cohen
2/3/2013 05:02:07 am

Brian does an excellent job in taking nothing and turning it into success. My favorite part of Brian’s story is that he does not wait for someone to come along and fix the situation the school is having with the athletic department. His proactive attitude is the reason why the donations and rebuilding happens. When he encounters something that is preventing him from achieve his goal he finds another way.

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Dawid Majkut
2/4/2013 04:18:15 am

Now that takes courage. What I really liked was Brian's persistence. He almost new what he set out to do but to me it felt like he didn't realize how hard it really a was going to be. His ability to motivate people and keep working towards his goals to give the school and community more is inspiring. I'm excited to now watch the longer video.

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Eric Urbaez
2/4/2013 04:34:23 am

These were very inspirational speeches by Brian Bordanick. In the first video although short he really got his message across he seemed to look much more confident in his success. The second video longer more detailed was a bit more touching because he seemed much more humble this may have been more convincing.

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Tabssum Adeel
2/5/2013 09:29:16 am

He is stood up for those people who did not getting any help from the government after the hurricane. It is very similar situation for us, “Sandy”. People are divested and stressful. Many people lost their home and job. City did not have any for fix road, school etc. According to the news estimation we need, almost 50 billion for fix the city. What brain did it was a very brave. These kind people role model and people look up to him.

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Melissa Ortiz
2/5/2013 11:05:48 am

First off, Brian is a special human being to take on this challenge to help the students of this New Orleans community who have been hit with so many obstacles. He demonstrates the theme of this class, "courage", and continues to keep hope for the community while always searching for an alternative means. Regarding the differences between the two videos; it's demonstrates that less can be more effective than more. This is a great example how words in a speech to an audience you want to convey an important message to are chosen and delivered properly, all you need is five minutes. In life, this may make a difference in a job interview or a business pitch (such as Brian had to give). Confidence in his first video showed by the projection of his voice, stance, eye contact, less repetition of words (needless to say), and his lack of clearing his throat. Since it was stated the latter video was earlier, then practice and experience do make a big difference.

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Omar Jalloh
2/6/2013 06:28:11 am

The lyrics of song writer Pink are truly touching. The lyric speaks to the audience’s soul and paints a true character of what our leaders truly represent in lieu of what they claim to be. What also stood out was the quotation of John Lock made by Matt Demon, in Howard Zinn documentary. As Demon said “Government are instituted to represent the masses interests”.

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Aleksandra Madej
2/10/2013 10:42:37 am

Brian Brodinick is a wonderful person! Not many 23 year olds would do what he had done for kids and community in New Orleans. It is so great that he didn't give up and kept going with the project even though he had so many setbacks. I really like when he said " I felt like a dark cloud following me". Very bold and courageous young person.

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