tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25609381003319202492023-06-20T06:53:44.659-07:00Sympathy for the DevilJack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-39004987719701302902014-05-15T05:49:00.001-07:002014-05-15T06:29:37.171-07:00In Conclusion... There's No Need For a ConclusionI've never really been one to overemphasize the end of something, whether it be the end of the year, a final blogpost, or some other marker of something coming to a close. I've always found it important to define things by the sum of all their parts, rather than how they finish, but with that all being said, I suppose there is some importance in "finishing strong." So, as I write this last blog post, if there is one idea that I'd like to stress as sort of a closing thought, it'd just be: keep an open mind. Tying it all back to this blog's lens of offering sympathy to underappreciated or misunderstood viewpoints, I'd just like to make one final point endorsing the idea that there's no end to learning. As long as you're receptive and willing to consider perspectives that may differ from your own, you will always be putting yourself in a position to learn more, and acquire more information and experiences.<br />
<br />
It feels strange to try to sum up all the lessons that I've been taught over four years of Academy, or even over this past year, so instead of taking some kind of metacognitive approach, attempting to capture the spirit of everything I've picked up on in the last four years, I'd like to continue to move the learning process forward and stress that it is far from over. Obviously with the pursuit of higher education, going to college, and continuing to move up the ladder of the American education system, it should be expecting that we, as soon-to-be Academy graduates, have far from completed the learning process, but I'm not so much talking about learning in the scholastic sense, I'm more concerned with life learning. The point at which people go off to college and are really forced into taking independent control over their own lives can in fact be a point where people get comfortable with a particular way of living, set in their ways, and either subconsciously or consciously begin to close themselves off from opinions or ideas they don't at first agree with. Whether it be something as trivial as actually listening to someone argue with you, or on a more macroscopic scale, recognizing the importance of being uncomfortable in order to gain an appreciation for something new, the takeaway message of this extraordinarily vague final blog post is just to always keep an open mind.<br />
<br />
I've noticed that because I've been in a position where I'e been making some decently big life decisions, like where I'll be living next year, what I'll be studying, and everything else related to college and graduating high school, people have been trying to give me <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQoMv4WBlc">life advice</a> now more than ever before. It's not hard for all of this advice to drown itself out, which might be a reason I'm sort of trying to avoid being overly preachy in this last post, but one quote that really resonated with me and is actually one of the best pieces of advice I've ever been given is when someone told me that regardless of where anyone will be living or what they'll be doing next year, "life is all about gaining experience." So, as I close out this blog that has more or less just served as a venue for me to be cynical and play devil's advocate, I offer the same sort of advice that was offered to me; my message to all readers is just to try to always put yourself in the best possible position for you to learn or experience something new. Don't fear the uncomfortable, don't close yourself off to something just because it's foreign, and don't write off something as wrong just because you don't initially agree with it. Keep an open mind. Never stop learning. Don't try to write a good conclusion, just think of everything as the next chapter.<br />
<br />
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-39809210417888949322014-04-28T23:19:00.001-07:002014-04-28T23:19:39.942-07:00"It Doesn't Have to Be Good, It Just Has to Be Done" - Jack PoultonOne of the most underratedly hard parts about the second semester of any high schooler's senior year is finding ways to cope with inevitable senioritis. It's true, everyone gets it, but not everyone deals with this crippling disease the same way; some people embrace it and get comfy while they watch their motivation (usually in tandem with their grades) drop to record lows, while others drive themselves crazy trying their very hardest to stay on task and not soil their last seven semesters of hard work. My approach, I'd like to think, has been sort of in the middle, where I'm not totally blowing work off, but to say I'm still investing 100% of my best effort would just be a blatant lie. My guiding motto lately has been, "it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be done." Is this the anthem of a slacker who realizes what it takes to work just hard enough? Probably. But does that mean it's an inherently bad principle? Honestly, I don't think so. It's probably pretty widely accepted that the "don't work, don't care" perspective isn't something to strive for but, to play devil's advocate, I think there are situations where this sort of "not good, just done" mindset is necessary and beneficial.<br />
<br />
Any cliche, out of touch teacher/parent/motivator will tell you that you should always shoot for perfection, because if you think your work is perfect, what more could you ask for, right? Wrong. There are quite a few problems that you can run in to if perfection is always the end goal. First and foremost, you will likely drive yourself into insanity if you're always struggling to achieve perfection; someone with a healthy work ethic problem wants to minimize their time spent struggling at all. If perfection can be achieved without any sort of struggle, then there probably needs to be some sort of paradigm shift or redefinition of what "perfect" really means. Perfection, by nature, isn't supposed to be easily attainable, and not everything a person does is supposed to be considered perfect. There should be some distinction between good and bad, which necessitates a certain allotment for things that are bad. This allotment is healthy, productive, and relieving, and the "not good, just done" mentality tolerates bad work as part of a greater whole (that we're assuming is also composed of good, maybe even some perfect work). For people really under the gun with expectations, or just in their eight semester of high school, this mentality offers a nice respite from the need to be perfect or always invest the best effort.<br />
<br />
Beyond the fact that perfect is simply just not always a viable option, sometimes it genuinely isn't an option at all. Take for example my college decision, something that's been plaguing my thoughts for weeks; as of now I can either choose to attend the University of San Francisco or New York University next Fall, both of which are great choices, but neither of which really is perfect. I've been back and forth between the two relentlessly over the past few weeks and I've boiled the decision down to the notion that either outcome will be amazing, but part of what makes the decision so tough is that neither one jumps out to me as being the obvious, clear-cut "perfect" choice. In this, and many other similar scenarios, there really isn't a perfection to strive for, it's just choosing between the better of two goods (or the lesser of two evils if you're a pessimist). Framing the decision with the mantra, "it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be done" again is a source of respite; in the end whatever choice I make doesn't have to be the best because there may not even be a best, but ultimately a deadline will come (in a mere two days in fact) and a decision will have to be made. It might not be the best, but it doesn't have to be, it will however have to be done. That's what I really like about this mentality (at least for now, while I can still afford to like it), it doesn't hide the fact that there is a task at hand, but it takes the pressure off of finding the most supreme solution to the task. I recommend giving yourself a break once in a while and adopting the mantra for your own use, when you realize that perfection can be totally unrealistic or just a lie, then you can thank me. After, of course, you make sure that whatever it is you need to do is in fact done. Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-29522299417750816472014-04-02T22:37:00.002-07:002014-04-02T22:37:48.311-07:00Welcome to Nature! Check Out is at 10:00As we finally are transitioning out of winter into longer, warmer days, the heat of Spring Break has dawned on a lot of people over the last few weeks. More so than any other time of year, people feel compelled to travel, explore, go somewhere exotic during this week off. Spring Break is often seen as an opportunity to go somewhere exotic, somewhere more natural than the environments we're accustomed to living in on daily basis. If we search out nature and try to make it a point to "experience" something more natural while we have a week off of work, are we really accomplishing our goal, or are we simply gawking at places we're glad we don't actually live, potentially contributing to their destruction in the process? Maybe when people take off for the far flung corners of the world to some exotic, natural destinations, it defeats the purpose of nature entirely and jeopardizes its existence.<br />
<br />
The natural beauty of places like The Maldives, The Everglades, or the islands of Fiji usually don't include resorts and travel organizations, but these are often what actually draws eager travelers to these destinations, not the innate natural experience. We're constantly bombarded with messages to "get out there," and experience something new; the fact that a <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42723289/ns/travel-destination_travel/t/natural-wonders-see-they-disappear/#.UzzBiyj0Q04">list</a> describing the best places to see before they disappear exists should be a testament to the fact that we hold natural, scenic places in high regard. But it's unlikely to think most travelers to these destinations would make such excursions without the luxury of resorts and hotels to tame these wild, natural places and make them livable. Does this count as tampering with nature? Unfortunately, the answer is more of a resounding yes than we'd like it to be. The fact that <i>this</i> <a href="http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/green-living/travel">list</a>, of ways to "green your travel," exists should be a testament to the ecological hazards posed by travel, and how making pilgrimages to gape at these locations might serve to destroy them in the long-term. This potential for destruction, combined with the zoo tactics that a lot of hotels and resorts employ (look all you want but don't touch, just enjoy the ruggedness of nature from a deck chair) begs the question, is traveling as worth it as we think?<br />
<br />
Obviously there is an incredible amount of room for interpretation to answer this question, and travel is by no means the same experience for everyone, but it seems rare to consider the environmental implications people can have just by visiting a different environment. Maybe the common attitude towards traveling needs a slight adjustment to realign itself with the world's increasing emphasis on environmental consciousness and sustainability. This doesn't mean that instead of taking vacations people should just go completely Walden and immerse themselves in natural wilderness (as entertaining as it might be for that to become a travel fad), but it should ask for a certain sense of increased awareness. If the motivation to travel far and see nature is just simply to <i>see</i> nature, people might want to consider staying home and resorting to Google Images; it's possible that simply the act of going somewhere exotic could do <a href="http://www.flyingclean.com/impacts_airplane_pollution_climate_change_and_health">more harm than good</a> for the existence of that place. It's becoming more and more important to adopt a new attitude towards traveling; either make a concerted effort to take a vacation from normal living and emphasize sustainability while your off the regular work schedule, or realize that is is in fact your vacation where you're free to indulge yourself, but do so responsibly, understanding the importance of ecological consciousness. If plane travel alone can account for almost 5% of global climate change, it's clear that the effects of traveling are more than meets the eye. If we're going to allow ourselves to continue to make destinations out of naturally beautiful places, then we'll need to realize the dangers we pose to these places, and how to ensure the enjoyment we get from them isn't causing their destruction in the process. Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-89944910356797998512014-03-18T21:40:00.002-07:002014-03-18T21:40:25.952-07:00We Didn't Start the Fire (#FreeTyler)Last week was one of the biggest weeks for alternative rock, pop, and hip-hop music of the entire year. The annual South by Southwest Music Festival, essentially a who's who showcase of the best emerging talent in music today, descended on Austin, Texas, filling virtually every music in the city with a constant stream of live performances for nine days. As with all large gatherings of popular music, this festival attracts a huge crowd of fans to the city, and as with almost all huge crowds of fans, the atmosphere at times got a little rowdy. At times very rowdy. To the point where law enforcement became concerned for the well-being of attendees, and took what they saw as necessary measures to make sure no one got hurt. Apparently those necessary measures involved <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/54367-tyler-the-creator-arrested-for-starting-a-riot-at-sxsw/">arresting</a> rapper Tyler, the Creator, who performed at the festival.<br />
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Tyler, the Creator owes a lot of his popularity and notability to his ability to instigate. His presence in the media over the last few years has been approximately 1/3 music related, 1/3 publicly dissing other artists, and 1/3 lewd, offensive, or otherwise borderline illegal activity. The fact that there is a section of his Wikipedia <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler,_The_Creator#Feuds">page</a> solely about "feuds" should be an indication of the type of eccentric character he is. But, even with this history in mind, is he to blame for potential safety hazards amongst a crowd of rowdy fans at a music festival? And is he deserving of a Class A Misdemeanor with a $25,000 bail? The answer should be a resounding no.<br />
<br />
So some festival goers got a little caught up in the heat of the moment and broke through a security gate, why should he have to bear full responsibility for hundreds of other people's actions? It's <a href="http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-altamont-festival-brings-the-1960s-to-a-violent-end">not like he's the first</a> musical artist to make headlines because a crowd's safety was called into question at a performance. And even if this was t<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">he very first instance of a crowd becoming potentially dangerous at a
concert, the keyword is potentially, after all he only </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">"encouraged
behavior causing an immediate danger and injury to persons," according to
police. The charge is in it of itself subjective, as "encouraged" can
be perceived in many different ways, but the point is he himself didn't pose
any threat or danger to the crowd of attendees at his show. If anyone is
to accept blame for this incident, it should be no one other than the crowd of
people in attendance. Unlike most other music festivals, SXSW has an age
restriction; to even be able to buy tickets to see any events throughout the
week you have to be able to prove that you’re at least 18 years old. This means
then that everyone in the crowd who caused “the scene reportedly almost became
violent” is legally an adult, and they should be treated as such. If it was a
group of adults that broke down an outside gate chanting “PUSH, PUSH, PUSH,”
then it should be a group of adults who are charged with whatever consequences
result from this kind of behavior. Placing the onus completely on Tyler, the
Creator for encouraging reckless behavior sounds like as good of an excuse as a
child making the timeless attempt to get out of trouble by saying someone else “made
them do it.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">If the local law enforcement and festival security really wanted to make a point that they don't condone that type of activity at their event, they should've rounded up everyone in the crowd at the time and given them a fine for inciting a riot. I wouldn't call Tyler, the Creator a martyr, but to say that an artist who may have contributed to a performance scene that <i>almost</i> became violent deserves to be detained on $25,000 bail blows the incident out of proportion, is a gross understatement. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">On a more metacognitive level, I've discovered through this blog lens that being a devil's advocate and offering sympathy for the devil often means forcing more responsibility on the general public. This story seems like a prime example of this trend, and testament to the broad idea that placing the onus on many can prevent the persecution or injustice of a few. </span></span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-31449772708088108162014-02-27T22:13:00.002-08:002014-02-27T22:13:36.347-08:00...Neither Is Shakespeare (But He Comes Closer)Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-10099917687940851022014-02-27T22:11:00.001-08:002014-03-03T21:14:21.047-08:00School Is Just Not For Everyone [GRADE THIS ONE]"Why do I even go to school anymore?"<br />
"Because it keeps you out of trouble."<br />
<br />
I don't think I can argue with my mom on this one, but the fact that if I weren't still regularly going to school for 9 hours a day I'd probably be getting in a lot more trouble may be the only reason I can justify high school nowadays. As I look forward to wrapping up my tenure in the American public education system in the next couple of months, I've been thinking a lot about the highs and lows I've experienced in education over the last 12 years, and if there were other ways I could've been spending that time. While it may partially be the senioritis talking, I've come to the conclusion that school really just isn't for everybody.<br />
<br />
This isn't to say that I haven't experienced a ridiculous amount of learning, about people, about the world, about curriculum, during my time in school; calling these last 12 years anything less than positive would discredit some of the amazing teachers and classmates I've met. With that in mind though, and as I look ahead to the next stage of education where I'll have more control over what kind of environment I'm in, I can't help but wonder about supplements or alternatives to traditional schooling that would be as or more beneficial.<br />
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Again, I can attribute some of my feelings toward school right now to the fact that I'm three months from high school graduation and senioritis is in full effect, but the thought of annotating a novel or delving into some math problems repulses me right now. So what else could I have been or will I be doing in lieu of school? I suppose that hinges partly on how I view school; some people choose a path that sets them up with an entirely <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/31/news/economy/manufacturing-trade-schools/">different</a> set of skills, but is still considered school. Trade and vocational schools seem much more specific, like an avenue for people who know their purpose and just need the tools to attain it. Had I known from an early age that I was destined to become a welder, maybe a vocational schooling would've been right up my alley, but I definitely have to give credit to the school system I've been in for narrowing my interests over the last 12 years, because there is no way I would've been able to make that sort of career decision at an early stage in my life (I can't even make it now).<br />
<br />
There are plenty of credible defenses for traditional schooling, and why certain aspects of it can be beneficial throughout a person's entire life. <a href="http://www.weinberg.northwestern.edu/discover/weinberg-magazine/fall-winter-2013/uncommon-thinking-measure-value-liberal-arts-degree.html">Liberal arts educations</a> in particular have a lot going for them in terms of how they can help people appreciate culture, and non-career aspects of life, but this is looked at in comparison to a sort of education that has people studying scientific experiments in labs. What if someone's education was only focused on culture? Wouldn't they have a huge appreciation for life then? This raises other questions about being able to contribute to the world, and how people should use their education as a foundation for bettering the world.<br />
<br />
I can't help but feel the need to set myself apart from the rest of the scholastic community, an urge that according to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQoMv4WBlc">Killer Mike</a> could help me become something more than just a factory worker for the rest of my life. I guess I have to give credit to the fact that he said "try to learn stuff outside of school <u>as well as</u> in school," meaning that you probably shouldn't just have one or the other (school or no school). I still think traditional school isn't meant for everybody, but I guess just realizing that in the first place might be enough to set me apart slightly from the rest. After all, I've only got three more months to kill until pretty much all of my learning can be done outside of school, so until then I'll just be happy that I've determined that I don't belong in academia, and plan for how I'll continue learning stuff once I'm free from its shackles.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-17174078146506887932014-02-07T08:09:00.001-08:002014-02-09T22:27:20.966-08:00This Is Not a One-Handed WorldThis past week has been one of the most physically challenging of my life. Quick backstory: about a week ago I cut the edge of my middle finger on my right hand with a router while working on a personal woodworking project. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router_(woodworking)">This</a> is a router, for those of you that don't know, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qH2i20Jm1A">here</a> is essentially how I was using it, and as far as the injury goes, I won't include a picture but I essentially tore away every layer of skin on my finger and narrowly avoiding hitting the bone. Long story short, it wasn't pretty and my hand has been in a splint for the past week to help it heal, giving me effectively one functional hand to live with.<br />
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It's been difficult, to say the least, adjusting to one-handed living, with some of the easiest parts of my day (taking a shower for example) quickly becoming some of the most challenging and dreadful. I vow to never take my two functioning hands for granted ever again once I can get this splint off completely, but I've definitely gained a lot of insight and appreciation for the challenges a lot of other handicapped people deal with daily. I'm lucky in the sense that eventually my finger will heal and I'll be able to live normally again, but unfortunately some people don't have that same luxury. In fact, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/disable.htm">tens of millions</a> of people live with a physical functioning disability that affects their daily life, and that's only statistics gathered for the United States. I think it's safe to say more of our world is handicapped than we realize, but have we constructed a world where people can live with relatively the same amount of ease regardless of physical ability?<br />
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The past few days have taught me that the answer to the question is a resounding no. We may fool ourselves into thinking that anyone with a disability has the means to live normally, but while there may be an element of truth in that notion, as a general rule, the world doesn't take too kindly to handicaps. There used to be a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6mhQ53BGU">show</a> that ran on TLC called Little People, Big World that profiled a family of six, three of which have dwarfism, a medical condition characterized by abnormally low or slow growth. The point of the show was to highlight how people four feet tall could adapt to a world that's been built by and for much taller people and live a relatively normal life; while this was accomplished to some extent, what I remember about the show is how much of a struggle they seemed to go through to convince the rest of the world that they weren't struggling. If that doesn't make any sense, essentially the problem I've observed is that although it's possible to appear normal and modify the life of a handicapped person so that it doesn't stand out as different from anyone else, the amount of work that goes into appearing normal or trying to live normally is a testament to how not normal such a life is.<br />
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Why does it all matter though? Like I said, eventually I should (hopefully...) heal up just fine and not have to try to make my life normal, because it will be naturally. The takeaway should be that if we care at all about empathy and really allowing everyone to live with equal ease, we need to be much more observant and honest with how people with disabilities live. Opening a bag of chips or using a pair of scissors have been harder this past week than ever before in my life, but for some people that level of difficulty is the norm. Are fully capable people responsible for constructing equality amongst the disabled and the rest of the world? I'm going to stray slightly from the Devil's Advocate nature of this blog and let personal experience takeover; yes they absolutely are responsible, and if we're going to keep telling ourselves that we live in a land of opportunity and equality, we need to regularly check with the entire population and take the necessary measures to make sure that's true.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-24715809422946272152014-02-06T21:15:00.001-08:002014-02-06T21:15:27.677-08:00The Super Bowl: What's Your Excuse?The Super Bowl is consistently one of the most watched televised events of every year, with this past Super Bowl setting a <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-super-bowl-xlviii-676651">record</a> for viewership around the world. Did you watch it? If you did, what's your excuse? Are you really that dedicated to pinnacle of American Football, or are there other factors that dictate how you spent your las Sunday night, and how you'll probably feel compelled to spend at least one February Sunday night a year for the rest of your life.<br />
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When we break it down, there's really not that much inherently exciting about watching the Super Bowl on TV, at least not more so than any other televised football game. Odds are your "home team" or the team you tend to root for throughout the year wasn't even playing, and if you happened to be a die hard fan of one of the two teams that made it this year, there's still a 50/50 shot that your team suffered an embarrassing 35 point loss. So why'd you (or anyone else capable of being easily apathetic) turn your attention to the season finale of the NFL? The underlying point here is that there's a little more at play than athletic enthusiasm and fan loyalty to what seems to be a natural inclination to feel compelled to watch what could easily be any other meaningless football game.<br />
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Maybe it's the blatant materialistic pissing contest that's put on display every time there's a break in the football action; the beloved commercials that are always captivating and exciting until you actually watch them. Are they effective? Using myself as a gauge, not any more so than commercials aired over the course of the rest of the year. Are they entertaining? This is also subjective, but by and large, not really. Does that stop companies from paying seven figure <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1945417-super-bowl-ad-costs-latest-info-on-cost-of-2014-super-bowl-commercials">sums</a> for a 30 second opportunity to fail at connecting with 100 million viewers? Oh no. Not at all. But maybe these ads work on you, and they're your justification for conforming your Sunday night to the pressure of American pop and TV culture, sacrificing yourself to four hours of Fox telecast.<br />
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Maybe you're just a party animal. Maybe you capitalize on the fact that some people you know like football enough to throw a party and invite you. You know what a party means right? Borderline dangerous <a href="http://www.dailyfinance.com/2014/02/05/the-super-bowl-reveals-an-important-consumer-trend/">consumption</a> of alcohol and junk food. I suppose that could just make you a glutton. Nonetheless, perhaps your gravitation towards the Super Bowl revolves around your inherent desire for some <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-02-01-super-bowl-pizza_N.htm">pizza</a>, rather than an appreciation for competition and sportsmanship.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, I say all this not because I have any vehement dislike for the Super Bowl, I'd describe myself as pretty passive towards the event in its entirety. I watched it this year, as I do pretty much every year, but I couldn't help but ask myself why I was glued to the TV set last Sunday, because for all intents and purposes as soon as my Fantasy team doesn't look promising I don't really care about football, and I tend to never spend my Sunday nights watching TV. Surely there must've been some other factors at play for me, and I couldn't help but think that I wasn't the only one watching that wasn't exactly a die-hard football enthusiast. No matter your motivation, it can't be that bad to devote one Sunday a year to pay homage to a cornerstone of American culture. I just know that for me the facade of actually being interested only works for so long, and if there were two Super Bowls a year, I'd probably take a pass on one of them.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-19665158752492230142014-01-13T22:38:00.000-08:002014-01-13T22:38:03.843-08:00Success: Revisited, Revised, Reevaluated <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I want to be successful. I've wanted to be successful ever since I knew that there was a possibility that I won't be. I think we all want to be successful, yes? But at what cost? I've never seen "success" as a negative thing, and I probably shouldn't; to me achieving success is reaching a point where you've accomplished something that you want to do and are happy with the outcome. Lately though, I've thought about success in a different way, what I refer to as "popular success", where you've achieved something that not only you want, but that 'benefits society', or some cliché like that. And when I think about success this way, I think about it in a much more negative way, like, "what will I have to sacrifice to achieve success?"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6f6f6f; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span><br />
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A lot of this thought has been prompted by looking into the future, and thinking about stuff like "where do I see myself in 20 years?" Frankly, I don't know. I don't know where I see myself in 5 years, or even 5 days. I don't know what I want to do with my life, how I want to spend my time, reach my goals, or even what goals I want to set. I have a (rather short) list of criteria for my life no matter how I choose to spend it: 1. Enjoy my life and truly like how I live each day 2. Be an all around 'good person' to people around me. That's it. I just want to be good to myself and the people around me. Based off of this it seems like I have an infinite amount of ways to achieve "success", but if I don't truly enjoy what I'm doing then it's not really being successful.<br /><br />The inconvenient, perhaps even unfortunate, truth that I've realized is that success isn't guaranteed. Of course there are many ways to define success, and maybe through someone else's eyes everyone finds their own form of success, but it seems like my version of success isn't granted to everybody. I don't know, and I'm not going to know exactly how the rest of my life will pan out, what I'll do for a living, if it will actually be for a living, what will motivate me. I used to think that all this was lain out for me and all I had to do was follow the right path, but apparently I have to create my own. Sure there's a lot of freedom with this, but then I have to start worrying about the two types of success, the one where I accept my life and the one where everyone else does too. What if I want to be filmmaker? Or drop out of school? Or become a prizefighter? Can I do that? I probably can, but will I be successful? Will I be satisfied, and will everyone around me, at least to some extent, also be satisfied? This is the part that I'm having trouble coming to terms with; I simply don't know.<br /><br />I don't know where I'm going in life after high school, much less how I'll get there, and even less if I'll be happy where I end up. I wish all I had to do was stay on the straight and narrow to find my way and be successful, but it looks like I'm going to have to carve my own path. Something that sounds all nice and cliché, the only problem being I have no idea what I want it to look like. Maybe it's too early to get caught up in all this figuring out, maybe I still have time to enjoy my relatively simple style of living before I get bogged down with all this deciding and guessing and uncertainty. Nothing is set in stone, and I suppose I can always change my life at any given moment to reach success, but even that seems like a very laborious and pessimistic way to look at my future. Come to think of it, I consider myself successful now, I'm pretty happy with my life now, and as far as I can tell the people around me don't seem to have a problem with it. I don't think I got to this point by planning for the future and plotting out everything I'll do for the next few years. That seems to be my best way to achieve success, just keep doing what I've been doing for the past 17 years, and if that's really the secret to reaching success, then maybe everything will work out after all</div>
Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-65449598003794274372014-01-13T00:28:00.001-08:002014-01-13T00:28:56.268-08:001st Semester Blogging Reflection<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I’m not trying to be cynical or overly critical, as my blog lens may suggest, but being brutally honest I can’t say I’ve learned much from blogging. I suppose that doesn’t really accurately address the prompt though, since I’m not supposed to be reflecting on what I’ve learned from blogging, but what I’ve learned about blogging. In this case, the simplest and most universally true answer I can give is that blogging is very much an investment. An investment of time, effort, personality, and priority where what you receive as enriching and stimulating takeaways is directly proportional to the work and care you put in to the blogging process. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It is probably for this reason that I’m still skeptical of blogs. Before engaging in the process myself, I didn’t have the most positive perception of the productivity and usefulness of blogs. I pretty much assumed that they existed in their own little microcosm of the internet, and more often than not the only people who cared about the content and quality of a particular blog is the author themselves. Obviously this sentiment isn’t true, but it is definitely problematic; as a form of media, part of the purpose of blogs should be to engage people in thought and conversation about some important topic. The open-endedness seems to disadvantage blogs though, where they tend to drown each other out in the chatter, purely as a product of their existence. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to give a dissertation on why blogs, are counter productive, I’m just trying to convey the point that I didn’t have the healthiest view of how blogs could be advantageous prior to having to write one myself. Parts of this hyper-negative point of view has definitely subsided over the course of maintaining my own blog, but unfortunately it some of it remains. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I haven’t been able to bust my preconceived notion that blogs exist predominantly in their own respective microcosms of the outrageously vast internet. What I have found is that this isn’t entirely a bad thing. If the target audience for a blog happens to be pretty limited, like that of our Academy class, then blogging can actually be an appropriately sized forum for us to communicate ideas. We’ve effectively carved out a little section of the internet to collaborate and communicate amongst ourselves, something I value as one of the most important aspects of the Academy program. The most constructive and useful blog posts are those like Matthew’s on Wal-Mart, and Ross’s on the ICC, because they’re cogent, original posts, followed by a bevvy of equally interesting and stimulating comments from others. I know my own thoughts and opinions thrive off of other people’s, which I consider to be a healthy sign of openness and sympathy. As old fashioned as it may sound, I’m a firm believer that the best, most effective form of communication is face to face conversation, but blogging has been interesting in the sense that it’s extended ideas from our class and conversations to places where we can let ideas sit and ruminate, later reconvening online to further discuss them. This is probably the ideal use of blogs, to serve as a supplement to continue dialogue that already exists amongst a group of people, and a platform to revisit ideas deserving more attention. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It would make sense that the ideal usage of blogs emphasizes what I consider to be the single statement I’ve learned to be absolutely true of blogs, that they’re an investment. I’ve found my own blog to be most significant and interesting when I write posts that other people comment on and use for discussion. Whether people agree with me or not, their interest alone validates what I’ve written about as important and worth sharing. This is part of the reason I picked a blog lens that could potentially be pretty inflammatory, and Jacob’s comment on my first real post saying, “I love the fact that you raised this issue,” was comforting in a vindicating sort of way. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>As we continue with these blogs, I think the healthiest thing for our blogging community would be more investment. This definitely entails an element of group effort, but for myself I’d like to continue to write posts that stir conversation and inquiry amongst readers. Through increased comments and continuing to incorporate what might be becoming my blog’s trademark phrase, “is this such a bad thing?,” I just want to keep things interesting and entertaining. </span></b><br />
<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-244f46ed-8ab7-ec69-5f47-cbfe666e093a" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Word Count: 746</span></b>Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-92139485669266557082013-12-10T04:32:00.001-08:002013-12-10T04:32:18.995-08:00Islands Don't Naturally Look Like Palm TreesThe stipulation for this blog post is that it must be related in some way to either Islam and/or the Middle East. With that in mind, I'd like to talk a little bit about two things that have always fascinated me: cities and culture.<br />
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Without getting into the discussion on whether Islamic/Middle Eastern culture is accurately appreciated and understood by Americans, I think most intelligent/moderately globally aware people can agree that the Middle East has long been a breeding ground for very rich, proud cultures. From the days of the ancient Persians, to the Ottoman Empire, to modern day Saudi Arabia, these cultures deserve a massive amount of respect for how deep and bountiful they are to the people who inhabit the Middle East.<br />
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It is for this reason that headlines like <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/12/01/dubai-future-cities/5WcREp0dk9GenHEFPzpsqO/story.html">this</a> intrigue and annoy me so much. Is Dubai the future of cities? I sure hope not. Sure, it may be an economic marvel that Dubai exists today, and their business-first mentality might be the sort of competitive mantra that will propel the world into a fiscal golden age, but is it worth the crimes they've committed against Middle Eastern culture and cities everywhere? Allow me to offer my sympathies to those who (vehemently) say no.<br />
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I've been mystified by cities for a long time (thanks Chicago). There's obviously something special about tall buildings and population density that yields unprecedented economic and cultural growth. While it is amazing that cities and urban centers can be hubs of both kinds of growth, I've watched enough inspirational Chrysler <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMwwwZsdZE">commercials</a> to realize that the cultural heritage and customs of a city run deeper than its economic prosperity, often growing despite economic woes. It is for this reason, the fact that the cultural ties of a city take precedence over its affluence, that the concept of a city built like Dubai can be exasperating. Instead of being built on culture and the traditions of various groups of people, Dubai is built entirely on the prospect of quick wealth, exploitation of natural resources, and fierce economic competition. The fact that roughly "95 percent of the city's population is not even naturalized," proves how little culture plays into the identity of Dubai. This wouldn't be such a problem if people weren't trying to pass Dubai off as being a model for the future; its disregard for cultural traditions and customs flies in the face of the deep cultural connection felt by other peoples and cities throughout the Middle East region. Whether intentional or not, the city gives off a very fake vibe, like even the art museums and galleries that exist in the city are contrived and manufactured, much like the <a href="http://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/5000/5739/ISS010-E-22273_lrg.jpg">shape</a> of Emirates' islands themselves. These modern economic boomtowns have every right to exist as long as they know their place; they can churn out resource exploitation on a massive scale, they just can't also expect to be seen as a respectable cosmopolitan culture. Think of it like Middle Eastern Disney World, profitable? Yes. Tourist attraction? Yes. Rich cultural experience? Unlikely. Model for the future of urban centers around the world? We can only hope not.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-79811359853013017432013-11-26T05:01:00.002-08:002013-11-26T05:01:52.491-08:00Do It Yourself(ie)Beating out some real gems of our modern language like "twerking" and "bitcoin," the word "selfie" was named Oxford Dictionary's 2013 Word of the Year. For those of you not in the know, a "selfie" is simply a picture you take of yourself. Often taken with a smartphone (and promptly uploaded to some social media website), selfies have been all the rage this past year, with the term being used and abused by celebrities and teen girls left and right. Does a word with such a slang feel to it say something about our society and the ever diminishing quality of our shared vernacular? Well, seeing as last year's Word of the Year was "hashtag," no, probably not, but apparently some <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20131124-editorial-selfie-as-word-of-the-year-is-a-fitting-self-portrait.ece">people</a> believe it speaks to the narcissism that is sure to consume our interconnected societies and life as we know it.<br />
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And it's not just Dallas op-ed writers who seem dissatisfied with this years unanimously decided Word of the Year, and NPR <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/11/19/246121195/picture-this-selfie-is-word-of-the-year?ft=1&f=1001">poll</a> shows that roughly one third of the general public would not describe "selfie" as a good choice for Word of the Year. With an unexpectedly large amount of people apparently dissatisfied with the rise of selfies, it makes it a little hard to determine exactly which devil I should advocate for. Because I think people who support selfies (again, this demographic is largely comprised of teenage girls) could use a strong defensive argument more than vindictive op-ed writers and cynics, I'll offer my sympathy to selfies, and try to see the positive attributes of the Word of the Year.<br />
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It's worth noting that the compulsive need for people to take pictures is nothing new. Selfies seem to be just another avenue for some people to fulfill this desire to be photographed, potentially replacing the old ways of going to a professional photographer and shelling of a lot of money for someone to snap some pics. Is it possible that people start sending out their selfies as Christmas cards? Absolutely. And I think this would be cause for celebration, if in fact people forego expensive studios and planning in favor of spontaneous pictures taken by themselves, of themselves. Any given selfie reflects at least a small amount of spontaneity, given that selfies are expected to not have the best quality or most thought out photographic features. It may be a slightly idealized concept of most people perceive selfies, but I'm personally in favor of the idea of simply taking a picture of yourself when the mood strikes you, rather than devoting more time and resources to what could very well be a less authentic, albeit "professional," photo.<br />
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Contributing to the DIY philosophy of selfies is the idea that they are largely universal; almost anyone (provided they have access to some sort of camera) can take a selfie, from the hundreds of high schoolers that flood my Facebook newsfeed, to my main man <a href="http://www.missinfo.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/snoop-dogg-grill-selfie.jpg">Snoop Dogg</a>. The point being, the value of these self-taken pictures is directly related to the thought and effort the person put into the picture themselves, no one else contributes to the quality (or lack thereof). Most arguments blasting the rise of selfies call them (among other things) pretentious and self-abosorbed. While it may be true that not every selfie ever taken was fueled by some altruistic motive, there is nothing inherently harmful about pictures that come off as self-absorbed. I think a fact that most people fail to accept before judging the morals of selfies is that people simply take a lot of pictures these days. Like, an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyMgNZHtdk8">obscene</a> amount of pictures. Again, this isn't necessarily a bad or harmful thing; obviously we have the ability to store an incredible amount of pictures with our constantly improving digital technology, and it seems like as there is a way, there will be a will to fill our empty storage drives with pictures (more and more of which will be selfies).<br />
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Considering the sheer amount of pictures people take nowadays, coupled with all the things that people <i>could</i> be taking pictures of, selfies, at the very least, emphasize the importance of the people taking the pictures over the pictures themselves. Maybe there is something inherently humanistic about selfies, shifting the focus from what could be a bland or generic photograph to the distinct individual taking the photograph. Scrolling through Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for a few minutes will make it pretty obvious that some people post pictures purely to attract attention. If this is a trend that will inevitably continue, I'd have to say I agree with <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ezra-koenig-believe-in-your-selfie-20131122">Ezra Koenig</a> (lead singer of Vampire Weekend) when he says, "I don't need to see a picture of the sky, the trees, plants. There's only one you."So, while everyone wants to be a photographer, and accomplishing this seems to be increasingly easy every day, selfies should stay. At their core, selfies are humanistic. Take it yourself, take it just like anyone else, and make sure the subject is unique. All of these simply reflect a burgeoning respect for people, which doesn't sound like such a bad theme for the Word of the Year.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-2140905358648470092013-11-14T07:46:00.001-08:002013-11-14T07:46:39.463-08:00Early, Late, Who Cares?I'm late. This post is a little late, I should say; allow me to get a little metacognizant with this blog for a second to explain. Technically, this blog post is due at 10:00am this morning, a due date set by my English teacher, as this is technically an assignment for my English class. Despite the fact that I'm starting this the morning of its due date, I'm not really concerned, not really feeling the pressure. For one thing, it's 8:48 and one hour and twelve minutes is more than enough time to write a quality post, but on a deeper level, dates really don't mean much anymore. The concept of being early, late, or right on time seems to be losing value by the day in our society.<br />
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A lot of what I observe with regard to dates and deadlines comes from the way I follow new music; I think it's very exciting to anticipate an album's release and look forward to the day of its release for weeks in advance. At least I did, until these predetermined release days became completely arbitrary and irrelevant. Take alternative rock giants Arcade Fire for example: they're 2010 release <i>The Suburbs </i>won a Grammy for Album of the Year, making it understandable that a considerable number of people would be looking forward to this year's follow up <i>Reflektor</i>. As a religious follower of Pitchfork (a music oriented internet publication), I kept myself pretty informed with when the album would be released, by what means, and how I'd be able to get my hands on it, as did many other music fans. But a few days before the highly anticipated October 29 release date, Pitchfork posts this little <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/52770-stream-arcade-fires-album-reflektor/">article</a>, essentially offering the album to the public for a limited to time before its actual release. As much as I was excited to hear one of my favorite bands' new music, I was a little annoyed with the idea that a band (aided largely by the media) could build up so much hype around a particular release date only to casually undermine it a few days early.<br />
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This isn't a confined case either. Many other albums this year have foregone their predetermined release date, choosing to put their music out a few days early, regardless of the hype and anticipation surrounding their original date. Even the US government seems to be holding less and less of a regard for dates and deadlines. The most recent government shutdown fiasco was averted, but not until the very last <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-government-shutdown-20131016,0,1118789.story">minute</a>, proving that the eleventh hour is becoming more and more popular as well. What do albums coming out early and governments passing legislature late have in common? They both show a blatant disregard for the concept of "on time."<br />
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Is this really all that bad though? As frustrating as it may be for time oriented people who put a lot of stock in dates, how negative are the effects of this emerging trend? While some <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-savage/lateness_b_4169441.html">people</a> might take offense to the implications this may have on a person's character, it could be a trend that proves beneficial. If nothing else, it keeps people on their toes; when you can't trust dates and deadlines, you're forced into a greater sense of awareness for the unpredictable. The government shutdown really was as interesting as it should've been to people until the very last minute (when failure seemed tangible), and bands who put out music early might just be looking for fans devoted enough to latch onto their music at any time or place. Timeliness is dying. Maybe it's already dead, maybe it'll be dead by tomorrow, but the point is, it doesn't matter.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-72584959331481942042013-10-24T22:21:00.002-07:002013-10-24T22:21:41.172-07:00Time to Peel Off the Bumper Sticker?The only parameter for this blog post, as set by my English teacher, is that it must in some way be related to the continent of Africa. While there are a plethora of news stories coming out of the continent every hour, and the focus in both my English and Social Studies classes have been largely on Africa lately, I've decided to focus on something that piqued my attention as I was cleaning out my inbox this evening. Right around 18 months ago, the famous (maybe infamous now?) Kony 2012 campaign was launched by the nonprofit organization Invisible Children. I'll assume, based on millions upon millions of views the video received that the premise is well known, and admit that I was one of the millions drawn in by their clever marketing campaign and signed myself up for their periodic newsletter. I did not think that I'd still be getting email updates from the organization over a year and half later, and the fact that every time I do get an email from them now it goes straight to the trash is probably an indication that their campaign wasn't exactly the smash hit they had hoped for.<br />
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The criticism and skepticism of the organization that followed the release of the campaign's first video are almost as well known as the campaign itself. Long story short, a few millenials (people roughly between the ages of 15 and 30, aka my generation) got too excited by faux-activism and social media, and we all learned the hard way that not everything you see on the internet can be fully trusted, and Africa can't be saved by the click of a button. Old news. But, a year and a half later, have we learned anything? About six months ago, prompted by the one year anniversary of campaign's first video and subsequent failure, Invisible Children released <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7amwiE-gw#t=86">this</a> follow up video, which attempts to restore hope amongst their target audience and rejuvenate support for the campaign. In the video, around the 1:25 mark, the campaign's enthusiastic director Jason Russell, in what appears to be an inspirational speech to supporters of the campaign, tells the audience gathered before him that they'll be able to claim they "showed up" to the Kony 2012 campaign. As if that's what the organization is all about, "showing up."<br />
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What does "showing up" even entail? Buying a nice little activism kit online, putting a bumper sticker on your (most likely hybrid) car, and then showing all of your friends the evidence that you care about Africa? Granted, this is an unnecessarily cynical look at a campaign that really meant no harm, but the underlying message still appears to be, we don't actually care enough about Africa (or the plight of child soldiers, or the instability of the DRC, or the turmoil that currently plagues Sudan) to really make any sort of difference. The one goal of the Kony 2012 campaign was to capture a notoriously brutal war criminal; no matter how <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/04/one-year-later-what-happened-to-stopkony.html">lightly</a> we'd like to put it, that goal was not achieved. Around the same time I subscribed to the Invisible Children newsletter, I also subscribed to the newsletter of another organization that seeks to promote awareness of crimes against humanity, known as the Enough Project. I still take the time to read most of their letters, as they're often more substantive, but even the most recent email I got from them presents <a href="http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/thinkprogress-7-things-you-need-know-about-sudanrevolts">facts</a> about the ongoing Sudanese revolts more as a Buzzfeed <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinabarca/awesome-fruits-youve-never-even-heard-of">compilation</a> than a serious piece of journalism.<br />
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It seems like our current perception of Africa is just one more thing to read about when we're avoiding that thing we have to do, one more internet diversion that serves our procrastination more than our activism. If we continue to see Africa only as a place of unpreventable conflict and inspiration for catchy pop <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY">songs</a>, we can never expect to seriously make contributions to the betterment of the continent. The most logical first step to activism should appear to be education, not blind bandwagon jumping and swift credit card transactions to prove you care about the children, or something. So as you peal that bumper sticker on your car, consider what drove you to make that mistake in the first place. If in fact the plight of Africans living in constant fear of a tyrannical warlord is still interesting to you, by all means educate yourself on the topic, and proceed with caution and intention from there. But if not, don't feel bad, a wise man by the name of Mr. Whipple offers his genuine consolations, as "activism isn't for everyone." Find another way to contribute to this world and you'll be all set. Just please, no more 30 minute viral videos.Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-60935880843306788412013-10-16T07:29:00.001-07:002013-10-22T07:26:22.411-07:00You Can't Say That!... Can You?<span style="font-family: inherit;">I mentioned in my first post that I love music; this is true. I pride myself on listening to a wide variety of music, so I'll probably be referencing that a lot throughout this blog. Recently I've been listening to a lot of rap music, and I've noticed that rap lyrics are often more colorful than other genres. And our everyday speech, for that matter. The word "nigger," for example, pops up all the time in rap songs, which seems a little strange given its history as a word used to propagate racial discrimination, and the fact that the rap/hip-hop community is largely black. Maybe rappers have an excuse because they use offensive language in an artistic way; whenever I casually drop "nigger" in conversation I can almost always count on receiving a dirty look, or at the very least some hesitancy. The same goes for words like "faggot" or "bitch," whether or not I use them in their historically offensive ways, I always get somewhat of a cold response.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">So should I eliminate words like these from my vernacular? Well, they were at one point (if they aren't still today) used to promote racism, sexism, or some other form of discrimination, giving them an inherently negative and disrespectful connotation. On the other hand, many words like this have been embraced as terms of endearment now, and when they're used in conversation or as song lyrics, they're used for a reason; although sometimes they might be hurtful or shock-inducing, that's kind of the point.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Tribe Called Quest, a rap group from the '90s known for their socially and racially conscious lyricism, offered an interestingly progressive opinion on the use of "nigger," on a song off of one of their platinum selling albums, appropriately titled "Sucka Nigga." Rapper Q-Tip tells us, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">Other niggas in the community think it's crummy. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">But I don't, neither does the youth cause we em-</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">Brace adversity it goes right with the race. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">And being that we use it as a term of endearment. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">Niggas start to bug, to the dome is where the fear went. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 26px;">Now the little shorties say it all of the time." </span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Obviously the word can be flipped into something positive, even among a demographic of people that were at one point subjected to its negativity. It's still a word condemned by many as largely disrespectful, including the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.naacp.org/press/entry/the--n--word-is-laid-to-rest-by-the-naacp">NAACP</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">. Used in the right context though, what is barring these words from being deemed okay? Another, more contemporary rapper, Tyler, The Creator weighed in with his views on the context of language after being accused of penning potentially homophobic lyrics, "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #272b2d; line-height: 23px;">I just think f*ggot hits and hurts people. It hits. And, gay just means stupid. I don't know, we don't think about it, we're just kids. We don't think about that shit. But, I don't hate gay people. I don't want anyone to think I'm homophobic."</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, is language that might be offensive to some people off limits? Absolutely not. The onus of being offended falls on the audience, the speaker's only job is to convey their message as accurately as possible. Is it possible that you'll be offending someone being not thinking twice before throwing out a "nigger" or "faggot" or "bitch" in your conversation? Yes, but that may very well be because you're trying to be offensive, making it all the more appropriate. The number one priority is for a speaker to make their message clear and intended. Considering the array of meanings these words have accumulated in 21st century conversation, and their expressive, colorful nature, there should be no reason why we can't accept their places in our vernacular.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: 200; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #272b2d; line-height: 23px;"><br /></span></span></span></span>Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2560938100331920249.post-66091176563893749452013-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:002013-09-29T21:44:14.765-07:00Sympathy for the Devil<b id="docs-internal-guid-1f5e2ed1-6d2e-1cbe-1a26-54e834b6b3a4" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1f5e2ed1-6d2e-1cbe-1a26-54e834b6b3a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste…”</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1f5e2ed1-6d2e-1cbe-1a26-54e834b6b3a4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Said the Devil, according to the Rolling Stones at least. Cryptic as it may seem, I’ve come to interpret that line as a call to action to open my mind and appreciate the world from as many perspectives as I can. Sound like a stretch? I’ll explain later. But first, please allow me to introduce </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">myself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My name is Jack. I’m a senior in high school, and this blog is an ongoing assignment for my English class. I love music, I love the outdoors, I love adventure, and I love exploring. I’m sure all of those will come up in some way throughout future posts on this blog, but I’d like to touch on the last one now. More than in just a physical sense of the word, I like to consider myself an explorer; I’ve come to realize over the last seventeen years that we live in a very diverse, and ever-changing world. My curiosity pushes me to approach the world and its happenings from many different angles and perspectives as I see it change. With this blog I hope to explore various opinions, arguments, and questions when looking at anything from world news to the literature I read in English class, opinions that in many cases will not actually be what I believe, but it is my hope that by attempting to understand these different perspectives, I’ll gain a greater appreciation for the subject matter I’m discussing, and the world at large. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think the Stones were really onto something when they described the Devil as being a man of wealth and taste. Maybe the arguments that we disagree with aren’t as backwards as we think, and are actually coming from equally observant, intellectual, sophisticated people that we all too often discredit as automatically being wrong, because we don’t have enough sympathy for their point of view. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a “Devil’s Advocate” sort of blog, because I don’t think I’ll </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">always</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> be contradicting popular opinion; I’m looking more to simply shed light on various opinions that would otherwise be cast off as flawed or wrong, and find the value in approaching things from multiple angles. So, if you’re willing, allow yourself to open your mind, as I open mine, and offer this world a little more sympathy. </span></b>Jack Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01704613417483218968noreply@blogger.com0