Grammar Post

I need to better understand the correct usage of effect vs affect. According to yourdictionary.com, the first thing one must do is have a clear understanding of what each word means. Affect means: To have an influence on or effect a change in. Effect means: Something brought about by a cause or agent; a result. Affect is more often used as a verb, while effect is more often the subject of a sentence. Another thing to remember is the word effective. Effect is appropriate after the words: into, no, take, the, any, an, or and.

Killer Culture

David Kupelian's article goes along with Diana Kendall's, saying that the media is corrupting and brain washing America's youth. While I don't think the youth is their only target, this fact is evident in the way we all dress, the music we listen to and the brands we identify ourselves with. I am disgusted and ashamed every time I turn on the TV, especially when I see the crap they are feeding kids on MTV and even Disney. Kids decide what they think is cool based on what other kids think is cool. They gather at corporate sponsored events to protest the man, and express their rebellion through their clothing. (Who's idea was it to express rebellion through clothing anyway? Probably someone trying to sell clothes.) Kupelian compares the adolescent rebellion to that of the 1960's, and though I wasn't there, I think what they were doing back then was quite different than what is happening today, at first anyway. In 1967 the word rebellion meant something; today it is something you can buy in a store. I agree with the author's idea that the only way out of this mess is to start over from scratch. He suggests homeschooling, and clubs like 4-H or scouts, which may be a start, but ultimately not a solution. Americans as a whole need to open their eyes to what is happening, and start rejecting the bullshit. We are all aware that we are affected by TV shows and advertising, but we keep buying what they are selling. America used to stand for something real, but it seems to have lost its way. I believe things will eventually straighten out, but at the rate things are going it appears it will get worse before it gets better.

Breather Assignment

The movie 300, although stupid, is a good example of people fighting for their civil liberties. When confronted by messengers from a foreign government, the people of Sparta resist. The king of Persia is on a mission to conquer the world. He has already fought and now controls many countries, and has an army of thousands. The Spartans have always enjoyed freedom, and their ideas have been passed on through generations. Their leader, Leonitus, is proud of their culture and their freedom, and he refuses to let someone else rule his country.
It is against Spartan law to fight a war at this particular time, because of a religious holiday. However, Leonitus and 300 brave soldiers exercise their right to freedom, and prepare for battle in a narrow canyon that leads into Sparta. For days, these 300 men hold their ground in this canyon, and defeat thousands of the invading Persians. They remain strong because they stay together, and use their shields to make a wall, which prevents the Persian's arrows from penetrating. By holding the front line, they are able to withstand the giant army, but only for a while. In the end they are betrayed by a mutant Spartan, who shows the Persians a pathway around the canyon, allowing them to surround the Spartans.
The Persian King gives Leonitus one last chance to surrender his freedom and his country. But Leonitus has been taught never to surrender, never to stop fighting. He nearly kills the king with his spear, but barely misses, and at last the enemy's arrows rain down from the sky by the thousands, and all 300 Spartan soldiers are killed.
Although this movie ended badly for the Spartans, it represents the battle we must continually fight for the freedoms we enjoy. Again and again it seems forces beyond our control try to take things from us, or tell us what to do. Like the Spartans, we must remain strong, and hold onto our freedom. Even when the odds are against us, we must never surrender, we must never stop fighting.

I'm Black, You're White

Shelby Steele's essay suggests that the end of racism begins with conversation. The night he describes in California is a good example of what I observe to be happening today, in regards to this issue. One thing I have learned is that I will never understand the struggle an African-American must deal with. I think many white people today do not feel as if they are racist, and therefore think they are "innocent," as Steele puts it. Obviously none of us alive today are personally responsible for the conditions the average black American is born into, and I think the question we should be asking ourselves is not "who is to blame," but rather "what do we do to fix it?" I estimate a major cause for racism against whites is the fact that many of us presume our own innocence, and therefore do nothing. Steele suggests blacks handle our presumption of innocence by either bargaining or challenging it. I agree with Steele that talking about these issues, although it is awkward, is the only way for everyone to come to an understanding. Hopefully one day we will all be on common ground, and they won't have to bargain or challenge.

Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt

I found this essay disturbing in many ways. I agree with Kilbourne on a few points, but I think she vastly overestimates the effects of advertising. Kilbourne believes advertisements cause people to do things, either consciously or subconsciously. I believe it is the other way around. Advertisers want consumers to buy their product. Their goal is not to make sure women get raped, ther goal is to make an impression in the mind of a reader. The fact that advertising is more sexual and disgusting that in was twenty or thirty years ago is disturbing because it reflects the values and priorities of our culture, but ads like these do not dictate our behavior. Men were attracted to the female body long before advertisements told them to be. Men who rape women do not do so because a cologne advertisement suggested the idea. Although I believe it is possible to find a woman attractive without being perverted, it is sad that we live in a culture where women carry pepper spray, and feel uncomfortable and objectified everywhere they go. But we cannot blame the media for making us how we are, and I think we as adults should be able to handle seeing a picture of someone in their underwear without getting offended.

Framing Class

Diana Kendall's article on class asks whether the media reflects or dictates American values. The statistics she presents indicate that most Americans define themselves based largely on how much money they spend, and what they spend it on. I was amazed to learn that one percent of the population owns 42 percent of the nation's wealth, and that a handful of companies control 90% of the media. It is safe to assume that the media is profiting from the current state of things, and I don't foresee them loosening their grip on the minds and wallets of Americans any time soon. I think television is largely to blame for creating the imaginary world many people think they live in, but I also think the American people in general are equally as responsible as the media, for continuing to buy it. Being aware of this crazy game we all play is a good first step towards making it stop, but until we all actually do something about it, it is probably going to keep getting worse. I shamefully include myself in this group of idiots, with my brand name shoes, my car, what kind of soda and beer I drink, I am a victim and a perpetrator of this system television and consumerism have created. The older I get, the easier it becomes to see the influence the media has on the way people look, specifically their clothing and hair. When I was in High School eight years ago, all the girls wanted hair like Jennifer Aniston, and the 'cool kids' dressed like skateboarders. I remember the punk/goth trend taking over, and the sea of black getting larger every day in the cafeteria. Now it appears hip hop is the new thing, and I see kids dressing like gangster clowns, and girls for some reason look like pirates. Diana Kendall feels the media is to blame, but I think it is just as much our fault as it is theirs. Not only do we need to stop watching it, we need to stop buying it. If a kid in white suburbia thinks he will be cooler by wearing the costumes he sees on MTV, he has some learning to do. Humanity has survived for thousands of years without television, and we would probably be alot better off without it today. But it is our fault that we let it control us the way it does.

Grammar Post

I need to learn how to use commas and semicolons better. If I am joining 2 complete sentences, I need a comma and a conjunction. Tom read the novel, but his friend saw the movie. If I use a semicolon, I don't need a conjunction. Tom read the novel; his friend saw the movie. I can change the meaning by adding a semicolon and a coordinating conjunction. Tom read the novel; however, his friend saw the movie. But that is more complicated than it needs to be, so I will probably stick with commas and conjunctions.

Girl

These are things my mother never taught me. Instead I learned that I should find a girl whose mother did teach these things, and that she should be a lady, not intent on becoming a slut. What would the world be like if we all listened to our parents?

Serving in Florida

Like everybody else, I found it easy to relate to Barbara's experience. I have also worked as a server, and I remember how frustrating it was sometimes. Working in a restaurant can be very hectic and stressful, which can bring out the worst in people, both co-workers and customers. But if Barbara had stayed long enough to really become friends with any of her fellow employees, I think she would have been alright with it eventually. When things flow smoothly in a restaurant, it's not a bad way to make money. It sounds to me like the real problem is that she wasn't properly trained. If the countertops are sticky, maybe she could wipe them off. And if she doesn't have time to pee, they are either understaffed, or she needs to learn how to be a server. I understand that she had a tough time for a while, but luckily she gets to leave and go back to her real job, and her real life. The only sympathy I feel is for the people who are actually stuck working there. Well, some of them anyway. If you smoke crack until your teeth fall out, you're probably going to have a hard time finding a good job.

Education

Both John Gatto and Mike Rose's essays on school suggest that our education system is not what it should be. Gatto's argument that the "system" was deliberately designed to mold us into "employees and consumers" is, although somewhat frightening, believable. Since I was in Elementary School, I have always wondered who decides what we are taught in school. Mathematics is Mathematics, the rules are what they are and it is basically straightforward and simple. The same can be said about the English language, more or less. English has rules; things like grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. Social Studies and Geography were interesting subjects to me, because the things I learned are real and evident in my world. But what about History? Who decides what parts of History are taught, and which parts are left out? How come I never learned about the Revolution of the 1960's? Or the Crusades? Or that Stalin killed way more people than Hitler? I was taught that Communism is bad, while a student in USSR or China was told that Capitalism is bad. What or whom is the "filter" that knowledge must go through before it is printed in our textbooks? All that I was taught about war, freedom, politics and religion had an "American" spin attached to it. If the purpose of education is to become informed and knowledgeable, shouldn't we be taught everything? It seems as though much of my childhood was spent learning about a world that does not exist. A fantasy, in which America always fights for the correct side of every war, where "bad" people do bad things and pay consequences, and "good" people earn happiness by working hard and doing what they are told is "right." Now that I am old enough, I suppose, to learn the harsh reality of the world we really live in, where the "American Dream" is a pyramid scheme, and we fight for "freedom" in Iraq, but do nothing about the genocide in Africa, I am forced to wonder, what else are they not teaching me? And who are "they," for that matter? John Taylor Gatto thinks they are an elite group of "caretakers," trying to keep us under control and consuming. While he may or may not be right, I believe our current situation demands that our children be taught the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Grammar Post

I want to understand paragraph structure more. After looking at some different sources, I learned one way to construct a good paragraph is to start with a broad topic sentence. The topic sentence should not contain many details, it is mainly to introduce the subject. Details should follow in the supporting sentences. The concluding sentence should summarize the paragraph, and lead in to the next one. A concluding sentence can be thought of as a topic sentence in reverse.

Michael Moore's "Idiot Nation"

I had mixed feelings after reading Michael Moore's "Idiot Nation." Although I agree with many of his ideas, I fail to see a thesis or a reason for this essay. I agree that our education system is flawed, and that the people whom we have elected to run it don't have a clue as to what needs to be done to fix it. It wasn't difficult for Moore to convince me that Pepsi and Coke should not be funding our schools, or that teachers are not to blame for the "stupidity" of our country. I do not agree, however, with the idea that Americans are stupid because they don't read books, or that running for office with the intention of pissing off the faculty is productive in any way. Had Mr. Moore been a little more informative, or even just less arrogant, his argument would have been far more persuasive and relevant to me. Simply complaining from a distance in this kind of negative, sarcastic tone might seem really edgey and cool for someone who never made it past High School, but it's not going to accomplish anything. But what do I know? I'm just a "stupid American" who couldn't read when I was four, and I have never gotten my Principal fired for fun, even though he was a good neighbor. Maybe I should stop watching TV and go read The Odyssey, in case someone quizzes me about it in 20 years, then I won't be such an idiot.