Op-ed

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1030-lopez-occupy-20111030,0,4348313.column

This article responds to the protestors in LA protesting the fact that in their opinion CEOs and other heads of business make too much money. The interesting part of this article is that the author has the same opinion as the people who are protesting; however, he believes they aren’t really accomplishing anything with their occupying style protest. He believes they are all talk and no action, which rings true when you try to interview them. There is very little long term planning going on and there hardly seems to be a goal.

This op-ed piece is effective mostly because of the author. It is from someone who agrees with the protestors. It isn’t a whiney politician saying go home; it is a person who should by the protestors’ theory be out protesting. He also effectively uses a call to action. He calls on the people of the occupying movement to actually do something. Instead of “having a giant slumber party,” actually accomplish something for your cause or stop complaining. He also uses a repetition of questions at the end of paragraphs to address the protestors. He wants answers to these questions which he knows the protestors will not be able to give; therefore, he helps his argument that the occupiers have little purpose in their actions.

Sound and Fury

After watching Sound and Fury, I find myself supporting the idea of cochlear implants. It is difficult for me to not be biased on this issue because I live in the hearing world and could not imagine life without sound. I am not a part of the deaf community and do not understand the discourses involved in deaf culture.

This being said, if it was my child I would want to give them all the opportunities possible. Even the deaf people in the movie talked about how life could be difficult at times. Their struggles, which are preventable, would be unbearably difficult to allow my child to suffer from. With the advancements in technology in the last few decades, the power of hearing is within anyone’s grasp. I would not prevent my child from hearing the sounds of the world and learn how to communicate with others how everyone else does. This will allow the child to have the most friends, get the best education, and live the best life possible.

Fear

Drowning I can deal with. Jumping off a cliff? No big deal. Death isn’t that big of a deal, what really scares me is being buried alive. Trapped in some mighty cavern or a little foxhole with tons of dirt above your head, gasping for air, with no hope of escape. I claw at the ceiling of earth above me, but to no avail. This is a slow death. One of suffocation and peril, it is drawn out allowing plenty of time to realize what’s happening. I am not sure where this fear began. Possibly a CSI episode a few seasons ago when one of the main characters was buried alive did it. Ants crawled all over him and gnawed at his body, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. I don’t fear going into caves or basement or anything like that. It’s only the thought of being trapped underground knowing you are going to die.

Won't Get Fooled Again

            The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” defines our generation in a political and economic way. Over the past decade America has fallen victim to one scheme after another. First off we Had been led to believe that we can spend as much money as we want with no consequence. Even our government believed this and some still do. We continue to spend ridiculous amounts of money harming our economy and our very way of life.

            Even the recession was caused by this feeling. People, spurred on by banks, purchased houses that they couldn’t afford. This went on for a while with no problems, but when the housing bubble popped our economy was doomed. We had been led into a trap of our own devices. Greed and a feeling of near invincibility pushed us to a point of self-destruction. And what did we do to react to this disaster? We went and spent more and more money we did not have. The chorus of the song is “Won’t get fooled again” and this is the lesson we must learn from recent events. We have to stop giving in to political devices and greed if we want to be successful. They sing, “And the morals that they worship will be gone/ And the men who spurred us on/ Sit in judgment of all wrong.” This again represents the tone of our nation.

A Whole Lot of Talk, but Where's the Action?

Many of the presidents through the history of the United States have used wording that helps enforce the values of our great country. They used the words such as nation, world, and people to group all of us together in a united sense. It strikes me that by the words that are used the most throughout the speeches are more playing on emotions and less about substance. They are speeches not about an issue or what is actually going to happen during a presidency, but more an almost robotic speech about how our nation is great and how we will move forward together.

Obama’s inaugural speech also played with the same emotions. It was a general speech to move the nation forward and did not cover specific issues. His speech was about hope and looking forward to the future no matter what it might hold.

There were two speeches from the past that struck me as different from the rest. Ronald Reagan in his first term address and Abraham Lincoln spoke about the issues, instead of about nothing. They were unique from the rest of the presidents in that way. Most presidents talk about the same thing, but in times of great hardship, a real plan helps more than shallow reassurances.

Trust the Gush!!!!!

My experience of writing is both informal and messy. I truly “trust the gush.” Instead of thinking deeply and then coming up with my words, I like writing through my emotions. Instead of extreme structure, I find it much easier to just go with the words that flow out of my mind onto the page. When I write, I start out by relaxing. I will grab my laptop, curl up with a warm blanket, and type. Sometimes, when I can’t come up with ideas, I’ll grab a bite to eat and get my mind off to other things. Then when I come back to the writing, I am refreshed and ready to go.

            The key in good writing is writing about things that are important to you or you have strong feelings about. Without emotion, writing is just words on a page, but with emotion, words transform into something more. They can transform the very world around you into a far away place, or move your heart and mind to get behind an issue.
            Writing is a process that should not be rushed or disturbed. For everyone, they have to write in their own ways. It’s important to remember that whether you “trust the gush” or think through every word and carefully choose your wording, write with emotion. When I write with emotion, I am successful.

My Writing Process

My experience of writing is both informal and messy. I truly “trust the gush.” Instead of thinking deeply and then coming up with my words, I like writing through my emotions. Instead of extreme structure, I find it much easier to just go with the words that flow out of my mind onto the page. When I write, I start out by relaxing. I will grab my laptop, curl up with a warm blanket, and type. Sometimes, when I can’t come up with ideas, I’ll grab a bite to eat and get my mind off to other things. Then when I come back to the writing, I am refreshed and ready to go.

            The key in good writing is writing about things that are important to you or you have strong feelings about. Without emotion, writing is just words on a page, but with emotion, words transform into something more. They can transform the very world around you into a far away place, or move your heart and mind to get behind an issue.
            Writing is a process that should not be rushed or disturbed. For everyone, they have to write in their own ways. It’s important to remember that whether you “trust the gush” or think through every word and carefully choose your wording, write with emotion. When I write with emotion, I am successful.

The Looming Towers

The Looming Towers

Smoke drifted lazily into the skies of New York City. It had been the gem of America, an economic center symbolized by the gigantic towers that stretched to the very heavens.  They were a symbol of American success, its near invulnerability. But the very values American’s hold dear had fallen under attack. The smoke drifting into the air was the sad reminder of the destruction wrought by the terrorists a few days before. 9/11 is a day that will forever live in infamy in the hearts of the American people. It was a catastrophic event that has come to form and drive the politics of the 21st century. The attacks on that day was the catalyst that drove the relationship between the United States of America to a whole new level. It was a cowardly attack targeted at innocents by people who had so perverted the religion of Islam to the point that it was nearly unrecognizable. The question all over America was where had these attacks originated. The Looming Tower seeks to answer this question by going back nearly a century ago. 

After World War II, many in the west sought to form a Jewish state where the millions of Jews who had been persecuted by the Nazi’s could survive and thrive. This goal, spearheaded by the United States, lead the allies to create the state of Israel. The Holy Land was the perfect place for the Jews to have their state. It was their homeland and their holy land. This newly formed state angered many Arabs who had already lived in the region, however. They felt that they had pushed off their homeland, just had the Jews had been centuries before, and claimed it as their own. This would be just one of many event that would lead to a hatred of Western ideas and the leader of the Free World, the United States.

In Egypt, an oppressive ruler named Nasher was another source of radicalization. He ruled with an almost antireligious ruthlessness. Qutb, who had once been a friend and advisor to Nasher, had been alienated and wrote many books about the problems with the westernization and modernization of Islam. He believed that the values at the core of Islam were being corrupted. He eventually died because of this belief. This was the first time in centuries that this had occurred in such a public manner. He was the first martyr in the Jihad against change and eventually the West as a whole. His ideas lead to the creation of groups such as the Brotherhood of Islam, a predecessor of Al-Qaeda.

This kind of thing was not only occurring in Egypt; however, it was occurring all around the Islamic world. The West would later become an enemy of these groups, but first they had a much more immediate threat to deal with, communism. Ironically, many of these Islamic groups even had support against the Soviet Union from the United States. One of the countries which had been an ally of the U.S. was Saudi Arabia. This is where the Bin Ladens come into the picture. Mohammed Bin Laden came from a family of little money and built himself an empire of a construction company. His work ethic was so great that he would himself go out and work with his workers. He paid his workers well and was a very kind, giving man. This helped him gain power, wealth, and stature fast. 

He had 19 wives throughout his life and a very large amount of children. One of which was Osama Bin Laden. He, from an early age was different from his siblings. He believed very strictly in the rules of Islam and his biggest role model was his father. He was a decent student and was educated; however, he eventually dropped out to get his place in his fathers business. Then he gained power and wealth in similar ways his father had. He gained power by making friends in the Saudi government. He also became a large part of an organization meant to return Afghanistan to the control of Islam instead of the communism government that existed. It was there that the ideas of Al Qaeda began to form. He had a mistrust for America that almost seemed to come from a jealousy. He had, however, accepted help from the West in the struggle in Afghanistan. 

In the early years, his Al-Qaeda had little success, but in one struggle against the communists at the Lion’s den he gained respect for his cause. When he returned to Saudi Arabia, he had more power and an air about him. Life was good for him and his organization, but then when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened the Saudis, Saudi Arabia turned to America for help. This angered Bin Laden, who believed that Muslims could defend their own land and fearing that the United States wouldn’t leave. He eventually was exiled to Sudan and became even more infuriated when the United States stayed in Saudi Arabia after the immediate threat had been defeated. In Sudan he had a good life though. He was treated as a king and a had a large amount of money, but eventually this money ran out. His family had cut him off from the fortunes of its company and without it he had little way to support Al-Qaeda.

His fortunes turned even further for the worst when the country of Sudan decided he was no longer welcome. They seized his assets in the country, which were valued at several million dollars, and told him he had to leave. During this time, America had their chance to nab him and stop everything that was to occur in the future, but at that time they did not see Bin Laden as a threat. He then moved his operation to Afghanistan where he coexisted with the Taliban. They supported him believing that he had money to support their cause, and he kept this front by calling in favors from past donors and supporters of Al Qaeda. It was in the caves of Afghanistan that he hatched his master plan to crush the U.S. as a whole. He planned on hitting a series of military, government, and economical centers all at the same time in a crushing blow to American civilization. Years of planning went into the final outcome of destroying the World Trade Centers and the attack on the Pentagon. 

Bin Laden believed that with these attacks he would crush any resolve that remained within Americans. He, believing Americans to be weak people, thought that by terrorism he could destroy the lifestyle, ideals, and even morals of Western society. He, however, was incorrect. For as materialistic as the West may appear, our core is still based on our values set hundreds of years ago. We value freedom and will do anything to keep it. 

This was a very interesting book to me. I enjoyed gaining a new view on radical Islam and terrorism as a whole. Instead of the usual things that you hear about 9/11, this book actually explored the principals, values, and idealism that caused the attacks. It painted a picture of the Al Qaeda institution through its struggles, successes, victories, and losses. Looming Tower puts a face on an enemy of the United States that in the past had only been known to me by name. Understanding the dangers that face our country is the first step in our safety, and 9/11 provided a terrible, but powerful lesson in America’s advancement into the new millennia. 

A VIndication of Women's Rights

What is our purpose in life? Should a man be the protector, the provider, and foremost the father of his family? Should he lead like a king, his subjects his children and wife? The roles of men and women have been debated for centuries and A Vindication of Women’s Rights explores these roles, crushing the common beliefs that existed at the time. Wolestonecraft believes that

Women are told from their infancy, and taught by the example of their mothers, that a little knowledge of human weakness, justly termed cunning, softness of temper, outward obedience, and a scrupulous attention to a puerile kind of propriety, will obtain for them the protection of man; and should they be beautiful, every thing else is needless, for, at least, twenty years of their lives.

There is a lot of truth in this opinion still today. The author describes women as the suppressed side of the human race. In a still male dominated world, where strong women are often considered masculine and even feared in some cases, these stereotypes are alive even after hundreds of years of war against them. It is ironic that in a world that seems to constantly talk change, in a lot of ways the world has gone back to tradition in many aspects of life. Morals and values originate so deep in our traditional upbringing, especially in the United States, that change is almost nonexistent. We adapt and advance, but our morals, values, and beliefs remain constant.

She sources the traditional female inferiority all the way back through the bible to the very creation of humankind. Eve being created from man is cited by many as rationale for these common held beliefs. Wolestonecraft even goes as far as saying if women don’t break free of the common beliefs and simply continue to submit to the wills of men, then they deserve to be considered inferior. I find it interesting that throughout the paper, even though it is obvious that she has strong opinions, she very carefully portrays them in order to prevent her from sounding too strong or offensives. She deliberately avoids direct confrontation with beliefs she has a problem with while carefully and strategically tears them down at the same time.

I find this fact ironic. It is easy to tell that the author is a revolutionary and a very strong women, yet she shares her opinion with care as to not offend her readers. This seems silly because the whole purpose of the writing and the message that comes across is confrontational to the norms of society.

In addition to attacking the norms that hold down women, the author also goes after humankinds submissive outlook on God himself. She believes, and rightfully so, that instead of being independent and strong, women and men alike depend on religion instead of using it at a tool to learn and thrive. With education comes power and independence. And women, in her time especially, did not receive the education they needed. In order to break the norms of society, and change and become greater than ever before, our generation must be educated like never before.

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

This was a very interesting article that really helped me explore how our life and how we think constantly is changing because of new technologies. Our brains are constantly are adapting to the world around us and for better or worse…the internet. Like any other technology that has enlightened human kind throughout our existence, the internet has both its promises and perils. It has connected out world together like never before making more and more information available to everyone on the planet.  The internet puts “efficiency and immediacy above all else” changing the way we search for information and even think. Every aspect of our life today is changing in order to make it more efficient. In a world that is moving faster and faster every day, time is of the essence more than ever in even the recent past.

In this world where information flows instantly, our knowledge is constantly changing, and new ideas become old in a matter of moments, the internet is the perfect tool to push this process along…or is it? Even with the immense technological advancements that have occurred, nothing can compete with the human brains ability to reason and adapt, and yet we are beginning to let this go to waste by not thinking ourselves. We are content to simply “Google Search” anything we want to know, get a quick summary, and be done. There is no thinking involved to this and I believe this goes right along with some of the points brought up in this article. I fear that I too suffer from many of the fears brought up in this article. Even now, as I type up this entry, my phone buzzing next to me pulls my attention away from this paper. Our ability to concentrate on one task at hand is suffering. This is partially due to an ever expanding world pulling our attention in all directions and the internet which helps connect us to it all.

I found more and more truth in the words of the article as I continued to read on through the seven pages. As I read, I found myself beginning to skip lines, my mind drifting. As I forced myself to concentrate again and again, I realized that there was a lot of truth to the fact that our minds are being trained for shorter more efficient information with every click on the internet. When you go onto the internet, which has become the primary source of information for everyone, you want to quickly and efficiently find what you need, not read through some multipage essay in to find the one desired fact. Whether this is laziness or simply the way of the future I am not sure; however, this is the way it is. Our brain is adapting to this change and maybe we need to let our minds adapt as well. Why can’t there be a way to both be efficient by finding the information we need on the internet, and then use this information to form new ideas? All that needs to occur for this to be accomplished is a little bit of thinking.

This, for some people, is difficult. When many people go online, they do not want to think. As they surf for their information, a Facebook tab flashes telling them they have a new message. Music plays in the background from Pandora Radio as they try to stay concentrated on skimming an article. A buzzing phone grabs up the persons attention as it buzzes. After a simple text is sent, the person must again get back on track while realizing that they simply must change the song! Distractions are more prevalent today than ever, and they are everywhere! At home, at work, at school. Our brain is overwhelmed by the simple volume of information we take in and what choice does it have but skim it and hope it doesn’t miss anything important. So the question is, “Is Google making us stupid?” I believe stupid isn’t the right word. It is changing us, that is for sure, but the internet is also bringing about wonders not even dreamed about in the past. The only way to know for sure is to wait and see what the next 20 years bring us.

Skunk Dreams

Whether it was in a football field in North Dakota, or the pine forests of the Northeast, the authors love and need for the open landscapes of the world always followed him. This want, this love, this need is the substance behind our dreams. And still the question remains: what are dreams? Are they simply a figment of our imagination? Or are they something more? Could they be a glimpse into the unknown, mysterious world of life after death? Like many other human being, the ideas of the author about life after death has evolved throughout his lifetime. There is no doubt, however, that the belief in life after death is something that brings many hope. It may, in fact, be a thing of our dreams. Erdrich says it best about what she wants of the afterlife when she wrote, “I want something of the self on whom I have worked so hard to survive the loss of the body.”

These are all tremendous life questions brought about in only the first few pages of Skunk Dreams. Erdrich uses incredible descriptive language to set the scene and grab your interest. The explanation of the skunk’s smell is expressed as something that enriches the air breaking the common idea of its stench. The essay goes on to break the norms and ideas about the nature of the dreams of animals. She perfectly expresses human knowledge on dreams when she says that we know little more about our dreams than we do about animal dreams. They could be dreaming about home, junkyards, other skunks, or possibly even what his or her life would be as a human. We simply have no way of knowing.

On this note her essay shifts focus to a more personal exploration in the feelings involved in moving from the rural, “wild” west into the cramped landscape of New England. There, her need for the open space was not just something that she thought about once in a while, it was something that ruled her life. Being cramped in the Northeast was a disease that was eating her alive from the inside out. As she writes, sometimes her urge to get out would become so great that she would drive thousands of miles just to get away. She had the need to see the horizon, as it was what she was used to from her childhood. When stuck in New England, she has to settle for the dreams of the sky, the wide open space, and most importantly its freedom. She dreamed of a great game reserve, and here she does an incredible job of connecting this part of the essay to the beginning.

Dreams sometimes seem unreachable: something that is just beyond all the obstacles in our lives, but these obstacles can be overcome. When the author finally reaches the wildlife reserve in the forests of New England, she realizes one of her dreams. There she fell in love once again with the wilderness, but this time it was different because she didn’t have to drive thousands of miles to find happiness. Dreams can be reached and obstacles can be overcome if we just have the will. Skunks certainly do, they will face an obstacle the same way. “We should take comfort from the skunk, an arrogant creature so pleased with its own devices that it never runs from harm, just turns its back in total confidence.” The skunk clearly has it all figured out.

Two Cities

The events of 9/11 hit American’s like a train wreck. People across the nation were shocked, horrified, amazed, and emotionally crushed all at the same time. The World Trade Center crashing down was an event so disturbing that Americans everywhere could hardly comprehend it. Everyone knew that the possibility of terrorist attacks exist, but this is America. That kind of thing doesn’t really happen here does it? We received our answer on that fateful day. Updike did an incredible job of expressing this feeling of disbelief in his article, “As we watched the second tower burst into ballooning flame (an intervening building had hidden the approach of the second airplane), there persisted the notion that, as on television, this was not quite real; it could be fixed; the technocracy the towers symbolized would find a way to put out the fire and reverse the damage.” His magnificently descriptive language paints a picture of the event into a clear image. It allows his readers the ability to feel what it was like watching this infamous event.

This article also brings into question the true safety of Americans across the nation. Sontag has the opinion that we are not truly safe do to the “ineptitude of American intelligence and counter-intelligence” and in today’s world, where we seem to be more worried about what we can’t do than what we can, this may be true. Too many ideas today are idealistic, not realistic. It would be great to live in a world with no terrorists, no enemies, and no violence, but in reality, this is not possible. Our intelligence needs to be strong to protect the most important right of all, life. I agree with Sontag when she says this was an attack on the world’s “self-proclaimed superpower;” however, this is not entirely fair. The United States is the largest power in the world today, and it is also the center of freedom and democracy in the world. An attack on this superpower is an attack on liberty, justice, and civilization as a whole. America is the strongest country in the world; those who doubt its strength are foolish as Sontag expressed.

America does however have a limit on this power: it is not united. The United States is almost an oxymoron in the political environment that exists here. The media and politicians alike spew “self-righteous drive” and “outright deceptions.” It seems that every day the American people simply become more subjective to the will of the crazy, deceptive, power-hungry politicians who run our country. After 9/11, we could see the power of our country while politics were forgotten for just an instant. We came together as one to ensure a safe nation for the past decade and hopefully decades to come. Part of what makes the United States the greatest and most powerful country in the world is also part of what makes it the worst. This mysterious thing is freedom. There is a balance that has to be reached between safety and freedom. Americans want to have the right to do what they want when they want to. This so called wasteful war has done one thing for the United States that its critics fail to recognize. It moved the fight that started in New York on 9/11 overseas. This “aimless” war has kept Americans safe for the past decade when according to many, Al Qaeda is stronger than ever.

My favorite part of this essay was the last paragraph by Sontag. She explored the problems and challenges America faces: its politics, arrogance, and manipulation. Today, politics has become a game playing on emotion rather than fact. “Who doubts America is strong?” Sontag says. Nobody in their right mind should. She continues, “But that’s not all America has to be.” She is completely correct. America needs to have the will to evolve and move forward so it can continue to be the best country this world has ever seen.

About Me

Background: I was born in McFarland and have lived here all my life. I have made many great friends here and enjoy life in McFarland; however, I look forward to the time when I can break out of this small town and live life in the real world. I look at school as a place to get to know people, make good friends, and learn along the way.    

My Hobbies: I am not really the person that a lot of people expect me to be. I am good at school, but for me its not everything. Sure school is a big part of life, but in reality there is a big part of life outside of school. I enjoy hanging out with friends, playing football (or pretty much any sport), mopeding, boating, fishing, hunting, and just relaxing. I love football! I play running back and linebacker. No other sport really compares, but competition in general is something that i enjoy. I work at Culver's, which takes up a lot of time. Life is often too busy because of work, football, and baseball, but i still find time to live life. I find it sad that so many people let school take over their lives. Sure life is busy, but its not worth living if you don't make time for the things that you really enjoy. You only live once so you should make the best of it. I have strong opinions about many things such as politics, where I tend to lean towards the right.

I love music and listen to all kinds of it. I like country, rock, and of course, rap. I like reading, but I probably don't read as much as I should. I like Tom Clancy and John Grisham. I also enjoy watching movies.

My Future: I do not know what I want to do with my future. I know that after high school I will go to college. I will probably do something math or science related because those are the subjects that interest me.