So today we had this thing at my school called "American Free Enterprise Day." Probably one of the most boring and nauseating experiences of my life. It's right up there next to the day my dad took my siblings and I to set up bank accounts w/ this Sarasota bank where everything was over the phone or automated, and we had to wait for like 2 hours just to open an account.
But I digress. I was forced to sing annoyingly patriotic songs against my will, while wearing a hideously bright red choir robe. Then I had to sit and attempt to listen to really boring speeches about how great free enterprise is.
First off, I would like to comment that I find the following lyrics ironic:
America...Confirm thy soul in self-control
-"America the Beautiful"
You're a Grand Old Flag
You're a high flyin' flag
And forever in peace may you wave
You're the emblem of
The land I love
The home of the free and the brave
Ev'ry heart beats true under red, white, and blue
Where there's never a boast or brag...
-"Grand Old Flag"
Just wanna throw that out there.
Next, full out ranting. From what I understand, this event was created to give awards to various businesspeople in the area to basically thank them for donating funds to the college and to give them incentives to continue supporting the school. This money is then given to students in the form of the "Academic Achievement Award." Now I find this very interesting. Because if we were really following the laws of a true free enterprise, we would refuse any form of financial aid. A hardcore free enterprise system values hard work and encourages an individual to pay his or her own way. Don't get me wrong, I definitely appreciate this financial aid and have no clue how I would be at this school without it. But I am really getting sick and tired of people being so close-minded to socialist ideas. Cause guess what? We already have several, and they seem to be making a lot of things better for us. Like scholarships, food stamps, and public schooling systems. So let's all stop acting like we're still fighting Vietnam or terrified of the Red Scare and become educated on the differences in economic systems without universalist worldviews, thanks.
Furthermore, I would really like to know where people got this idea that democracy and capitalism are God's preferred form of government. The Jews had judges and then a monarchy. Jesus was born under the Roman empire. And according to Revelation, after Jesus returns and God restores the Earth, we will live directly under Him, in a cross between a monarchy and a theocracy. We can have any form of government and any form of economic system and still be Christians. In fact, we could continue having our democratic republic and switch to a socialist economic system and things would still work out fine. Because, honestly, it doesn't necessarily matter which way you do it, as long as it works. Granted, a different system may be less efficient, but it probably is not as bad as people think.
And no matter how many times someone says it or tries to argue it, I refuse to accept and believe that this country was founded on Christian principles. Because it wasn't.
Quote of the Day:
Helen: Oh of course! I mean really, without the arts, what separates us from animals?
Daria: Hm, let's see. Animals don't feel the need to suck up to wealthier animals.
-Is it fall yet?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
I have confidence in confidence
Exactly a week ago today I delivered a speech to inform in my public speaking class that I would like to share with everyone who views my blog. Here is the manuscript form [minus my visual aid, which would be pretty ineffective in this medium]. It didn't turn out exactly this way when I presented, but it went well and I got a 90%. I hope you all like it.
Speech to Inform: Mean Girls and its Implications for American Society
I have a confession to make. One of my favorite movies of all time is most definitely Mean Girls. You know, that 2004 teenage comedy with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey. Honestly, my roommate and I watched it every single week last year in Tallahassee, and we could probably quote almost the entire script, given the opportunity. It is an absolutely hilarious film, since Tina Fey wrote it, exhibiting the typical random humor style of Saturday Night Live, as evidenced by a scene in which Tina Fey welcomes a girl she assumes is the “new girl from Africa” because she is black, only to embarrassingly realize that girl is from Michigan. However, another main reason I love this film so much is because it is based on a very important concept, found in a book entitled Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman. This book delves into the adolescent girl’s mind to bring clarity to parents who only want the best for their daughters. When Fey read the book, she felt that the message was important enough to communicate through film.
In case you have not seen the film, or need a refresher, I will give you a brief overview of the plot. It centers around Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, a 16 year old girl who has just started going to public school. Previously, Cady was home-schooled because she was born and raised in Africa by her research zoologist parents. Obviously, she experiences extreme culture shock when she first attends her new school, having to switch between classes and dealing with the stress of finding a group of friends she feels she belongs in. On her second day, Cady becomes friends with Janis and Damian, two “artsy” outsiders in the school. But on her third day, she catches the attention of the popular girls of the school, known as “The Plastics.” She begins hanging out with both groups and is torn between them until Regina, the girl who rules both the Plastics and the school, victimizes her by stealing the boy Cady likes. Janis, Damian, and Cady then plot to undermine Regina and ruin her life in return for all of the evil she has caused previously to everyone who knows her.
There are several concepts explored in this movie that almost all teenagers, and even some young adults, can relate to and recall dealing with at some point or another. When Cady first enters high school, she compares it to the wild environment of Africa, implying that high school functions through survival of the fittest. A huge concept developed in the film is the idea of the group dynamic. When Cady begins hanging out with the Plastics, she is informed of a litany of rules that she must follow in order to maintain good standing in the group. This leads to the root of the problem, founded by women’s uncertainty about who they are as women and what it truly means to be feminine. The Plastics have created a definition and in order to be a part of the group, all its members must adhere to these norms. The foil for Regina is Janis, who dresses in dark clothing and does not try to be feminine. She is confident in her personal identity and seeks other individuals that accept her for who she is, which is something many people can admire, even if they cannot sacrifice their personal social standing for it.
As I mentioned previously, the creation of Mean Girls was inspired by a parenting book by Rosalind Wiseman, called Queen Bees and Wannabees. In an interview on the special features of the film, Wiseman states that some of the central questions she attempts to address in the book include: Why do girls feel that they need to have a boyfriend for validation? Why do girls keep friends that treat them cruelly? Why do girls act dumb or pretend that they are fat when they know these things are not true? Or Why do some girls put up a front and act like they have it all together when they don’t? Wiseman links these urges for relationships with others with the longing for high social status. This longing for status often times conflicts with personal identity. When a person strives for group acceptance, he or she often feels he or she must compromise who he or she is, or learn to function as an outsider. The author also warns that these unhealthy relationships that are built out of insecurities can result in violence. Insecure individuals tear others down to build themselves up. By viewing others as fatter or dumber or less attractive than oneself, people dehumanize other people and start believing that they are less human than themselves. Therefore, they can treat these individuals however they like.
As you can see Mean Girls is an incredibly important film that presents huge societal issues in an attempt to open the eyes of Americans. We as people must learn to love ourselves before we can function healthily in a group. However, this struggle for self-acceptance is sometimes learned after experiencing a life of compromise. Rosalind Wiseman and Tina Fey both believe that women of all ages struggle with the definitions of “womanhood” and “femininity,” and I would like to add that men in America also have difficulty understanding what it means to be a man. These gender identity crises have overlapped into people’s struggles for social standing because no matter how much a person denies it, we all long for high social standing and recognition for our personal validation. American culture thrives on status, which is obtained through hard work, material possessions, and a person’s ability to influence others. But the main idea of this film encourages viewers to learn to be secure in who they are without tearing others down to gain social standing. As stated by Cady in the film, “Calling somebody fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone dumb doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.”
Quote of the Day:
"Don't let the hatas stop you from doin' yo thang!"
-Kevin G, Mean Girls
Speech to Inform: Mean Girls and its Implications for American Society
I have a confession to make. One of my favorite movies of all time is most definitely Mean Girls. You know, that 2004 teenage comedy with Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey. Honestly, my roommate and I watched it every single week last year in Tallahassee, and we could probably quote almost the entire script, given the opportunity. It is an absolutely hilarious film, since Tina Fey wrote it, exhibiting the typical random humor style of Saturday Night Live, as evidenced by a scene in which Tina Fey welcomes a girl she assumes is the “new girl from Africa” because she is black, only to embarrassingly realize that girl is from Michigan. However, another main reason I love this film so much is because it is based on a very important concept, found in a book entitled Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman. This book delves into the adolescent girl’s mind to bring clarity to parents who only want the best for their daughters. When Fey read the book, she felt that the message was important enough to communicate through film.
In case you have not seen the film, or need a refresher, I will give you a brief overview of the plot. It centers around Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, a 16 year old girl who has just started going to public school. Previously, Cady was home-schooled because she was born and raised in Africa by her research zoologist parents. Obviously, she experiences extreme culture shock when she first attends her new school, having to switch between classes and dealing with the stress of finding a group of friends she feels she belongs in. On her second day, Cady becomes friends with Janis and Damian, two “artsy” outsiders in the school. But on her third day, she catches the attention of the popular girls of the school, known as “The Plastics.” She begins hanging out with both groups and is torn between them until Regina, the girl who rules both the Plastics and the school, victimizes her by stealing the boy Cady likes. Janis, Damian, and Cady then plot to undermine Regina and ruin her life in return for all of the evil she has caused previously to everyone who knows her.
There are several concepts explored in this movie that almost all teenagers, and even some young adults, can relate to and recall dealing with at some point or another. When Cady first enters high school, she compares it to the wild environment of Africa, implying that high school functions through survival of the fittest. A huge concept developed in the film is the idea of the group dynamic. When Cady begins hanging out with the Plastics, she is informed of a litany of rules that she must follow in order to maintain good standing in the group. This leads to the root of the problem, founded by women’s uncertainty about who they are as women and what it truly means to be feminine. The Plastics have created a definition and in order to be a part of the group, all its members must adhere to these norms. The foil for Regina is Janis, who dresses in dark clothing and does not try to be feminine. She is confident in her personal identity and seeks other individuals that accept her for who she is, which is something many people can admire, even if they cannot sacrifice their personal social standing for it.
As I mentioned previously, the creation of Mean Girls was inspired by a parenting book by Rosalind Wiseman, called Queen Bees and Wannabees. In an interview on the special features of the film, Wiseman states that some of the central questions she attempts to address in the book include: Why do girls feel that they need to have a boyfriend for validation? Why do girls keep friends that treat them cruelly? Why do girls act dumb or pretend that they are fat when they know these things are not true? Or Why do some girls put up a front and act like they have it all together when they don’t? Wiseman links these urges for relationships with others with the longing for high social status. This longing for status often times conflicts with personal identity. When a person strives for group acceptance, he or she often feels he or she must compromise who he or she is, or learn to function as an outsider. The author also warns that these unhealthy relationships that are built out of insecurities can result in violence. Insecure individuals tear others down to build themselves up. By viewing others as fatter or dumber or less attractive than oneself, people dehumanize other people and start believing that they are less human than themselves. Therefore, they can treat these individuals however they like.
As you can see Mean Girls is an incredibly important film that presents huge societal issues in an attempt to open the eyes of Americans. We as people must learn to love ourselves before we can function healthily in a group. However, this struggle for self-acceptance is sometimes learned after experiencing a life of compromise. Rosalind Wiseman and Tina Fey both believe that women of all ages struggle with the definitions of “womanhood” and “femininity,” and I would like to add that men in America also have difficulty understanding what it means to be a man. These gender identity crises have overlapped into people’s struggles for social standing because no matter how much a person denies it, we all long for high social standing and recognition for our personal validation. American culture thrives on status, which is obtained through hard work, material possessions, and a person’s ability to influence others. But the main idea of this film encourages viewers to learn to be secure in who they are without tearing others down to gain social standing. As stated by Cady in the film, “Calling somebody fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone dumb doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.”
Quote of the Day:
"Don't let the hatas stop you from doin' yo thang!"
-Kevin G, Mean Girls
Friday, November 7, 2008
11/7/08
Highs and Lows of this morning's e-mails.
Low: Why do people enjoy phishing? What pleasure do they get out of it? Is there some type of huge benefit they can reap from it? I don't understand.
High: I absolutely love seeing old married couples going on walks together. To me, it's one of the most beautiful and adorable things I'll ever get to see.
In other news:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10560192&ch=4226716&src=news
^This could be a very serious tragedy. ^ [Sorry I can't get the link to post right.]
Quote of the Day:
"Governor Palin, why is it that when asked a question you don't know the answer to, you become increasingly adorable?"
"I don't know, Katey. *pew *Pew *PEW!"
-Amy Poehler and Tina Fey imitating Katey Couric and Sarah Palin, respectively.
Low: Why do people enjoy phishing? What pleasure do they get out of it? Is there some type of huge benefit they can reap from it? I don't understand.
High: I absolutely love seeing old married couples going on walks together. To me, it's one of the most beautiful and adorable things I'll ever get to see.
In other news:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10560192&ch=4226716&src=news
^This could be a very serious tragedy. ^ [Sorry I can't get the link to post right.]
Quote of the Day:
"Governor Palin, why is it that when asked a question you don't know the answer to, you become increasingly adorable?"
"I don't know, Katey. *pew *Pew *PEW!"
-Amy Poehler and Tina Fey imitating Katey Couric and Sarah Palin, respectively.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Etiquette Dinner
So this week is Homecoming Week at my school, which is kind of odd because we don't have a football team. But we do have a basketball game on Friday, which is sweet because I love watching basketball. It's far superior, in my opinion.
But anyway, last night the evening's event was this Etiquette Dinner, where we got to dress fancy and learn how to behave at a business function. It was pretty awesome because I got to dress up fierce and eat great [FREE] food that was NOT from the cafeteria :).
A few things I learned at the dinner:
1. I am an awkward mingler.
2. I've been using napkins wrong at restaurants. You're supposed to leave it folded in half on your lap, not completely open like a fun blanket.
3. I learned why they give you spoons when you order pasta (like Fettuccine Alfredo at Olive Garden. mmm). Apparently there's a technique to using the spoon to twirl the noodles around the fork, that was a little frustrating to learn because I was hungry and impatient. But I got it.
4. Continental styles of holding utensils and such are far superior to American. Much less complicated.
5. Don't wear clothes with fabrics that move when attending an interview.
6. In order to get called back by a company, it helps to wear a sweater or jacket over your top. Apparently there is a correlation between your willingness to be there and wearing Secret Life of the American Teenager-styled clothes.
Quote of the Day:
"Viola, chew like you have a secret."
-Debut ante Lady in "She's the Man"
But anyway, last night the evening's event was this Etiquette Dinner, where we got to dress fancy and learn how to behave at a business function. It was pretty awesome because I got to dress up fierce and eat great [FREE] food that was NOT from the cafeteria :).
A few things I learned at the dinner:
1. I am an awkward mingler.
2. I've been using napkins wrong at restaurants. You're supposed to leave it folded in half on your lap, not completely open like a fun blanket.
3. I learned why they give you spoons when you order pasta (like Fettuccine Alfredo at Olive Garden. mmm). Apparently there's a technique to using the spoon to twirl the noodles around the fork, that was a little frustrating to learn because I was hungry and impatient. But I got it.
4. Continental styles of holding utensils and such are far superior to American. Much less complicated.
5. Don't wear clothes with fabrics that move when attending an interview.
6. In order to get called back by a company, it helps to wear a sweater or jacket over your top. Apparently there is a correlation between your willingness to be there and wearing Secret Life of the American Teenager-styled clothes.
Quote of the Day:
"Viola, chew like you have a secret."
-Debut ante Lady in "She's the Man"
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Day
So this morning I walked into my Physiological Psychology class about 4 minutes late [I'm getting closer and closer to being on time, so I was excited] to hear my professor saying, "No class today. Go vote!" So I decided to get my caffeine fix, head back to my room, and start a blog. I think I will mostly use it to post random tidbits of information that I find interesting.
One thing I'd like to share to commemorate today, which is Election Day, is this Yahoo News article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl126#full
And in case you haven't noticed, I love quoting movies, TV shows, and internet cartoons. Today's quote is:
"Vote vote vote
Vote vote vote
Unless you are a felon
Cause felon's can't vote"
-Making Fiends
That's all for now. Thanks for sharing in my random pretzel-like thoughts that thrive on word association. More to come.
One thing I'd like to share to commemorate today, which is Election Day, is this Yahoo News article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl126#full
And in case you haven't noticed, I love quoting movies, TV shows, and internet cartoons. Today's quote is:
"Vote vote vote
Vote vote vote
Unless you are a felon
Cause felon's can't vote"
-Making Fiends
That's all for now. Thanks for sharing in my random pretzel-like thoughts that thrive on word association. More to come.
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