Students listening intently to presentation.
Diversity According to South Park and Family Guy- Matt Glowacki
Matt Glowakci is one of the greatest guys I know. He was born with no legs, but that doesn’t stop him from living his life and being happy. He has the best personality and outlook on life, that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that he is missing his legs. My favorite story of his, that demonstrates this is the one night that he went out to dinner with his wife. They were eating dinner, and Matt had said something inappropriate and all of sudden he flys back from the table. He asks his wife what that was for, and she responded ‘I’m sorry, I was trying to kick your legs, but I forgot you didn’t have any.’
Diversity is a learning process. Take the time to get to know someone before you judge someone.
Matt talked about how he never works a day in his life because he does what he loves. He loves speaking; he does 180 shows a year all over. He loves music; he has a DJ business where he sends DJ’s out to where they are needed. He also has a wheel chair business where he makes custom wheelchairs. He makes all of his wheelchairs, and he has also made many wheelchairs for Special Olympic athletes.
He also showed many television statistics, for example half the amount of homes have two or 3 TVs, and other shocking ones.
South Park and Family Guy are designed to be offensive. In the Family Guy theme song it even says what the show is going to teach to viewers.
With everything in the world that we see on magazines, billboards, commercials, etc. it’s hard for many people to understand what beautiful really is. Just be yourself, and love who you are. Lookism, is the term for judging someone base on their looks. Companies use fear, uncertainty, doubt, to sell products. Young girls are hating their body weight because of what they see on TV, with how the models, and celebrities look. They also play with Barbie dolls, and Bratz dolls, whose body proportions wouldn’t even be realistic on an actual human being. Many companies have produce fake advertising and consumers see that and they make it out to be real. Many companies will take someone, put them in the companies clothes, makeup, have a photo shoot but then photoshop all the flaws that they don’t like and advertise that fake person.
Racism, is also still a part of people’s daily lives. One thing Matt told us, was that we have been conditioned to treat disabled people better, for example, always opening the door for them. Try not to be ignorant towards the issues of racism. He also spoke to us about how a word is just a word until someone says it’s a bad word. Intent + Context = Interpretation.
Talk to your friends about diversity. If you see something say something, stand up for people’s rights. If your friend says something you don’t agree with tell them “I’m sorry, but when you say things like that it is hard to be your friend.” Don’t give control of your feelings to a person who has no role in your life.
Some final tips Matt left us with are:
If you are in the bathroom, and if you can use the smaller stall because 7% of the time someone will need the handicapp stall when you may be in it.
Walk around open and curious, you will have a better time in life, most of the time, if you do.
Why not do the work to be happy.
You can visit Matt at his website, http://mattglowacki.com/ add him on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/matt.glowacki.73?fref=ts and follow him on Twitter, https://twitter.com/MattNoWalkie.
Telling a story about one of the colleges he visited.
Saxophone man
Matt Corey Nighttime Live and Open Mic Night
Saxophonist Matt Corey has traveled the world with a high energy show that features music you wouldn’t expect to hear from a saxophone. It’s an amazing show with the saxophone playing the role of the singer. Covering everybody from Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake to Jay Z and Michael Jackson. Pop, Hip Hop, Rock, and even Country! Matt was nominated “Best Music Act of 2012” by Campus Activities Magazine. London Theatre Guide singled out his performance as lead role in sequel to the Emmy and Tony winning Broadway spectacular Blast! as “Exquisite!”
He has been featured as a soloist at the Queens Theatre in London, Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center, Sixthman’s 311 Carribean Cruise and Rock Boat, and hundreds of colleges and military bases nationwide. Matt Corey was named Campus Activities “Male Solo Artist of the Year” in 2011, 2012, & 2013!
Matt Corey has also been featured as an opener for Joe Walsh of the Eagles, Comic Legend Gallagher, American Idol Bo Bice, George Benson, Dave Koz, Trombone Shorty, Third Eye Blind, O.A.R., Mike Posner, Far East Movement, B.O.B. and many more. Matt has also toured as a member of both the Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras.
Matt Corey is amazing on the saxophone, but I guess he should be seeing as how he has been playing since 5th grade, and still in his twenties. He can pretty much play anything. He did Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, a song by Michael Jackson, a song by Bruno Mars and more. Matt is a great guy to have fun with. You can follow Matt on Twitter, https://twitter.com/mattcoreymusic.
After he was done playing we had Open Mic Night where a local band performed, and they were great. Matt even joined in on one of their songs. Bobby Skrzypek, Jared Diehl, Willie Jakes, Greg Brennan, were the great guys who made up the local band. Bobby is also part of a separate band, Bobby Skrzypek and The Pedestrians.
Matt Corey assisted a local band in a song they were performing.
Posing with Matt Corey’s belt.
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