The Magnificent 7......OhhhhYEAH!!!

I recently posted some comments on a few blog's and here they are.

MitrovitchOctober 21, 2012 4:25 PM-Matthew

http://jgamboa808.blogspot.com/2012/10/tmitoo-much-information.html?showComment=1350862942346#c302633441988915782    ---Justin

MitrovitchOctober 21, 2012 5:33 PM- liz

MitrovitchOctober 21, 2012 5:45 PM Jasmin

MitrovitchOctober 21, 2012 9:05 PM colby

MitrovitchOctober 21, 2012 9:41 PM Kevin

MitrovitchOctober 21, 2012 11:43 PM simone

 

I tried to comment as liberal as possible, as I dont like to impose my ownr views on others. My favorite comment of them all was.

 

Colby's--

 

"Yet the answer seems so simple to me, greed. The people in high places, with wealth just continue to want more of it. We live in a corporate world now and unfortunately it even seems to influence the way our government operates." I agree yet disagree with this statement I believe greed is what is getting us into so much trouble.

I however do not agree that it is only the 1%'s fault. We all play are part in this nations greed. We the people are asking for this, and it is being provided. If it is to change though we all need to STOP CONSUMING (pardon my language) shit we dont need.
We all need to wake from this delusional world of consumption. Im not saying to stop buying frivolous items. Im just saying stop buying all the frivolous items.

Untill recently I was this way but slowly i am degressing in my need for consumption.

Okay I think i kind of got off topic but I think you supported your point well and left room for others to argue theirs thank-you

Drifting From Reality?

How has personal computing technology such as smart phones and ipods/pads made americans less social?

This issue affects me because I recently got rid of my smart phone, and not only has my communication with people around me enhanced but my spending of my non existent money has also lowered. I am no longer constantly checking my email/facebook or looking for the best sale on some item i do not even need.

I care because I feel these things are keeping us as a society locked down on to a one way road of thinking. The most important thing to us is our phone they should be implanted into our hands because they never leave them. Not only that, our phones and ipods do almost everything for us. They help us exercise, shop, wake us up, put us to sleep, even remind us to do our daily objectives. This is all very convenient but at what cost. Obesity is on the rise, our countries deficit is insane, its all just another way to escape this thing we call reality. What happens when we ignore problems though? They don't just go away they become monsters! We become monsters!
 

“The group is expected never to impinge upon—indeed, it is expected to tacitly
endorse by enduring—the individual’s right to withdraw from social space by whatever means he or she chooses: cell phones, BlackBerrys, iPods, DVDs screened on laptop computers. These devices are all used as a means to refuse to be “in” the social space; they are technological cold shoulders that are worse than older forms of subordinate activity in that they impose visually and auditorily on others.” I had to borrow this snippet from the article, “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” by Christine Rosen because it explains our society so well. I do it, we all do it, sit in our own little ipod world and veg while our food is being made or go to class and check our cell every five minutes for an update or text message of some kind. We are no longer really engaged in the real world. Its like everyone wants to escape, but where are we going?




The reason i'm writing this is because i'm afraid. I'm afraid of losing touch with reality, hence my parting ways with my smartphone. I know it sounds insignificant but it was just a small step in the direction I want for my life. I got tired of trying to escape every 5 minutes. I got tired of going on throughout my day with noise blasting in my ears while the rest of the world went along without me. I don't know about you but I know one thing my Iphone didn't do, and that was communicate back to me like another human. There is no feeling when you read a text message. Theres no feeling when you get that facebook alert that you've been invited to a party. I don't even get formally invited to parties anymore, if I don’t check my facebook event calendar i’m shit out of luck. (Oh crap now this is starting to sound like a sob story about how lonely my life is but I'm not “seriously” look at me I'm awesome there is no one that dosent want me at their party:)


I think I have made my point pretty clear, that we're abandoning each other for these devices that are supposed to enhance and make our lives easier. I don't think we need to get rid of them but i do think we need to stop an take a look at how much time and money we put into these things and how they affect our lives.



 

Attack Of the Ipod

                 

I read the article, “Society Is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld” byAndrew Sullivan. In this article Sullivan talks about the Ipod people and how technology has given us a universe entirely to our selfs, “Society without the social,” he says.


Basically he went to new york and saw everyone walking around lifelessly with white wires hanging from their ears, from their Ipods. He even admits that he is one of them and how what started as a convenient way to control and hold all of his music became a compulsive obsession. He even goes as far as saying its a cult.

Everything from TV to our phones receiving our emails of our favorite bloggers thoughts; everything is directed to our own basic thoughts and needs. We no longer get to meet new strangers that can give us outside Ideas on worldviews or, an opinion that might force us to
change our mind about something.

                                                     

 

“Yes, we have always had homes, retreats, or places where we went to relax, unwind, or shut out the world. But we didn’t walk around the world like hermit crabs with our isolation surgically attached.” This sentence i think really gets his point across. I mean I’ve always had a way to escape before but now its as easy as pulling out my phone. How many times have u taken out some daily stress at your local shopping center? Now all you got to do is pull out your EBAY app, buy your sorrows away.

Sullivan says, “Music was once the preserve of the living room or the concert hall. It was sometimes solitary but it was primarily a shared experience, something that brought people together, gave them the comfort of knowing that others too understood the pleasure of a Brahms symphony or that Beatles album.” Now we all just hide it away in our little white wires and keep it all to ourselfs. We have a constant soundtrack to our lives to keep ourselfs going through out the day.



Finally to close it all out he shares the old I forgot my ipod sob story but flips it. “I noticed the rhythms of others again, the sound of the airplane, the opinions of the taxi driver, the small social cues that had been obscured before. I noticed how others related to each other. And I felt just a little bit connected again and a little more aware.” I know for myself, putting down the technology that i think makes my life so much more manageable, really helps me relax and see the realworld.





Messenger, Erica (2010-01-08). Argument! (Page 279-280). Humanities & Social Science. Kindle Edition.

Lies Are Cumbersome

I think I can honestly say I will always be a liar. I know it sounds horrible, but would it not be a lie to say I will never lie again. It is done in all different ways; unknowingly, to spare ones feelings, to get what one wants, and even for fun. Some teachers even use it to help their students think outside of the box. I guess the real question here is who decideds when lies are good or bad, and when has it been taken too far?
                                                     

I had a teacher who told us that Christopher Columbus was given syphilis by Queen Elizabeth before he came over on the Nina, and introduced it to the Americas. I know that is an extreme lie to tell a bunch of high schoolers, but he got his point across. Obvioulsly he ended up telling us the truth, what he was doing, and why he did it. Dose that make it right though?

 Another lie, in which I was involved, happened a few weeks ago when my girlfriend bought me a hat. All was good on this beautiful summer day. My girlfriend came through the front door and said, "Oh I got you something." She pulled a hat from a brown plastic bag. I saw it and instantly I thought to myself I will never wear that, crap what do I say. Instead of saying what really went through my mind, I said, "I like it, its really nice."



 Now the point I'm trying to make isn't that I could have avoided any hurt feelings or ideas of distrust by telling her the truth. Its that by telling the truth I could have shown respect for my partner. I could have shown that I trust her feelings toward me. I could have let her make her own decision on how she wanted to feel about me disliking a hat.


Instead of doing this I tried to control the situation and make the out come the way I thought it should be. My Idea of what is right and wrong isn't every ones idea of right and wrong. So my point is is that lying isn't good or bad. Its just a thing that we as do sometimes to be a human among humans, but it is best to check your motives before taking on something so guileful. It may not be the right move to make.

Coexist

“In 1971, John Lennon imagined a world with no borders or countries, only filled with co-existing humans and peace.” It's funny the author uses Lennon’s name, seeing as it was his birthday yesterday; Oct 9, 1940, ten years before computers were even invented. It's strange to think an inanimate object (the internet) that we use to do everyday communication can cause such a drastic change in the world of today. I feel that the point of this essay is that communication can cause big things to happen. Hany Rashwan, the author of "Communication Key to Egypt's Uprising" states, ”Our web is the only platform on earth that gives anyone — regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or beliefs — full freedom in utilizing and contributing back to the Internet.” Basically he's saying the internet is the only place of true freedom in this world.



According to Rashwan, more than 80 million people supported, helped, or followed this revolution online. That is a lot of people - almost one third the population of the United States - and as he states, is the population of egypt.


Okay before I go through this whole paper with out being a little cynical I have to say one thing: How many people that push the like button on facebook or follow something on twitter really even know what they are liking or following? Really, I would like to know. If you're in my class or read this, leave a post for me. I’d like to know others opinions on this matter. My uninformed opinion would be no (they don't), so please inform me about your views on this subject. Let me know if I’m the only person who just randomly likes and follows stuff because it sounds good!

Talk about walls being broken. A whole nation was brought together by a simple yet complicated electronic device and its components. I think Rashwan is completely right in this essay. He explained what the internet did for communication, the effects it had on Egypt, and what effect the internet has on communication of the world today.


If John Lennon were still alive today I'm sure he would have a lot to say about the internet. I also suspect he would probably still be disappointed in the state of the world. Luckily for us we do still have the power to change as individuals. No matter where we are in the world we have the power of choice. It may be a lot more difficult to use it in other countries and cultures, but it will always be there. I see the internet as a way to propagate this power of choice, communication, and togetherness. I feel the author states that very well in his writings and am glad to have had the opportunity to read this paper.

An Elephant Never Lies

My response to the article “Let the Zoo’s Elephants Go” is, oh my god not another animal story, so freaking sad! Les Shobert states "The elephants' debilitating ailments are probably a result of the inadequate conditions in which they have been held.” He goes on to state "Zoos must change the concept of how elephants are kept in captivity, starting with how much space we allot them." Shorbert goes into the specifics of how horribly these animals are being treated, because of the way they are detained, and how they can be helped. 

 
http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/oppeleph01.htm

I feel if a zoo, circus, or any other sideshow is going to have such an exhibit, they as caregivers should supply adequate living arrangements for such enormous and needy animals. Although, whose fault is it really? It can’t be held in the arms of the caregivers alone. They have these exhibits for a reason, right? Exactly, they have them for us, the public. The reason this is a problem now is that we, the public, see the way all of these animals are being treated and we don’t like it, not one bit, boohoo!

Well maybe it’s not the whole public that is complaining. According to Schorbet, though it is a huge problem and something needs to be done right now! So what can we do? I have no idea, nor do I really care. I mean, I don’t have time to worry about elephants, right? I have a full load of college courses, work full time, and have other life goals to worry about. So what can I/we do to help? Nothing really, I can just sit here in my comfy chair, read this article and write this summary about how horrible I don’t feel for these animals. Then maybe someone will read this, think it’s a little funny or sarcastic and get really mad. Hopefully one of you really heartfelt people out there will actually see that what is being done to these elephants is wrong and destructive to this world. You may see the big picture. In fact, you may see that it’s not just the elephants that need help, it’s everything and everyone, and we’ll all start doing our part. According to Schobert there are two said facilities that can harbor such enormous animals; The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and PAWS in Galt, CA. Maybe a way we could do our part is to donate a few dollars to help these facilities. Maybe instead of spending our money going to these exhibits, we could send a little their way. In closing I’m going to have to agree with the author of this article, “the zoo should do right by its elephants, and the public should demand nothing less.” We are the only ones that can make this change so lets help and do our part.