Ignorance- February

Ignorance

                Are American citizens ignorant of the goings-on in the Middle East? Many people would argue that we are not ignorant, but fully aware of world events. I believe that these people are in denial. I think that they view this accusation as threat to their intelligence. Many Americans are very intelligent, but that does not mean that they’re fully aware of events taking place outside of our country. Personally, I believe that the majority of Americas are ill-informed of what is going on in the Middle East, including myself. Many people get their information from the news or their phones, but the number of people who actually watch the news is decreasing. Many people today are seeking news through satirical television shows instead, such as Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, or The Colbert Report. While these programs may be silly, this is sometimes the only way that people receive information. I think that these shows are a great way for people to become interested in the news, but they should not be our only source of information. It would be fantastic if the viewers would research the topics that they hear about to become fully informed, but unfortunately this is not the case.

                We read a book in AP English class called A Thousand Splendid Suns. This piece of literature taught me more about modern events in the Middle East then I’ve ever learned in social studies class. This book presents life in the Middle East in a new way by providing readers with a personal connection to the characters and the daily struggles that they are going through. Before reading this book, I knew basic knowledge about world events, war, etc., but I did not fully understand why we are at war and what life is like over there. I knew that conditions in Afghanistan are bad, but I didn’t realize how horrid they actually are until I read this book. While I still consider myself a somewhat ignorant of the goings-on in the Middle East, I would consider myself a tad more informed since reading this book.

                I think that Americans’ ignorance of the Middle East can be summed up by how some people treat Muslims, or people who look like Muslims for that matter. After the tragedy of 9/11, many people were suspicious of any and all foreigners from the Middle East. Americans, being the ignorant people we are, would see a man with a turbine and beard and immediately think they were a terrorist. It is no secret that people who look this way are often the ones who are “randomly selected” at airports. Most Americans, including myself, would not be able to identify the different people of various cultures and religions in the Middle East. While many Americans know the general information of the events in other countries, the majority of us don’t fully understand their cultures and the way that they live, thus classifying us as ignorant. An understanding of other cultures is the key to a land free of ignorance.

Growth in Equality between Men and Women- January

Growth in Equality between Men and Women

Is there discrimination against women in our country or have we risen and overcome? Equality between men and women has been a controversial issue in the past century, making it hard to not hold an opinion on the subject. Personally, I think we are somewhere in between complete discrimination and absolute equality. When I say “we,” I am referring to American Society. There is obviously still gender discrimination in other countries, but for this blog’s sake, I am solely focusing on America. There is a noticeable difference in gender equality from 1920, when the 19^th amendment was passed, allowing women the right to vote. Back then, it was strange for a women to be independent of a man. Today, however, nobody would look down on a single mom; if anything a single mom is to be congratulated for her strength and independence. The same holds true for a single dad. Today, it is not absurd to see a single father dropping his kids off at school. Women have also grown in their careers. When my grandmother finished high school, going to college and pursuing a career was not an option for her. She was expected to marry her high school sweetheart (my grandfather) and raise their growing family. While this is not unheard of today, women are now held to a different standard. Women are expected to continue their schooling and pursue a career that will allow them to function independently.

Henry Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, focuses on the topic of gender equality. In A Doll’s House, the main character, Nora, is suppressed by her husband.  While Nora loves her husband, she desires to be in control of her own life. She thirsts for the ability to make her own decisions and not be held down by the standards of society. This play takes place in 1879, a time when women were expected to play the role of an obedient housewife. I believe that society has come a long way from this point. As I stated earlier, women are now able to pursue careers and leave their positions in the kitchen.

While discrimination is no longer “in your face,” it still exists. If you were to ask a group of boys whether or not they would have a problem with their wives “bringing home the bacon,” the majority would reply, “yes.” It appears that men today do not have a problem with women thriving in the workplace, but they feel it is their “manly duty” to provide for their families. I do not believe that this feeling is irrational; I understand where these boys are coming from. Do I think, however, that this is an example of a need for gender equality? Absolutely. Do I feel that this lack of equality prohibits me from succeeding and living my life to the fullest? No. While I know that sexist discrimination still lingers, I feel that we have reached a point where women are no longer stifled and held down, but are free to live how they choose. We definitely have more room to grow in gender equality, but there is comfort in seeing at how far we’ve come.



Time- December

Time

 

Is there such a thing as time? Modern day society is very focused on time. It is rare to find a room without some sort of clock in it. People are constantly checking their watches and phones for the hour as well. Why is that? No matter what activity we are partaking in, it is somehow linked with time. The question is, what is time? Is it even an actual thing? I do not believe that time is a real thing. I believe that time is an idea that society created a long time ago as a way of organization. We, as humans, like to believe that we are in control of our environment, thus we created "time." Time provides a way of measuring our daily activities and provides some sort of order to our lives. There is no way to prove that time is real because it is not a physical object. Thus, from deductive reasoning, humans must have created the idea of time at one point or another. Time, in my opinion, is just a frame of reference that society uses to maintain order.

 

 

This topic is discussed in Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Slaughterhouse Five. In this novel, the narrator experiences his life through time travel. This ignorance of standard time represents the idea that time is not an actual thing. The narrator does not live through the time frame that society does, yet he is still functioning. Time was also used as a motif in the novel when the narrator travels to the planet of Tralfamadore. Tralfamadorians are also ignorant of time. They do not view their life as separate events, but as one large image from birth to death. This alternative to time, again exemplifies by belief that time is not an actual thing, but a frame of mind that society chooses to use.

 

 

We have created a society that is linked with time. Every activity we do begins and ends at a certain time. For example, let's say that you are making plans with friends to go out to lunch. One of the first questions you will ask is, "What time do you want to go?" We ask this to make sure that we will all arrive at the restaurant at the same time. Let's say that you are meeting at noon. What is the difference between noon and one o'clock? There is none; time is not an actual thing. It is just a way to break up your life based on when the sun rises and sets. I believe that time is a method of organization for society and only exists in our minds.

Cultural Relativism- November

Cultural Relativism

 

Is one culture correct in their morals and beliefs and another wrong? If so, who decides which culture is correct? I personally do not believe that one culture is more accurate than another. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A person's ability to make judgments is biased around the culture in which they were raised. For example, a 60 degree day in New York is considered gorgeous. If you were in Florida on a 60 degree day, however, you would see locals wrapped up head to toe. Both groups of people were in 60 degree weather, but since they were raised in different environments, they respond to the same temperature in different ways. This frame of mind is true for cultures as well. No two cultures are exactly the same, thus there customs will more then likely not be alike. Since every culture is viewed differently, there is no telling if one culture is correct and another is not.

 

This topic is discussed in James Rachel's article, "The Challenge of Cultural Relativism." He discusses how cultures cannot be compared because people are biased to the culture they are raised in. He uses Eskimo practices as an example. In their culture, it is very common to kill infants, resulting in a high rate of infanticide. In our culture, we find this horrifying and immoral, whereas in Eskimo culture it is exactly the opposite. They live with a lack of resources, thus they occasionally find it necessary to kill their infants to provide for the family they already have. In an Eskimo's eyes this practice is perfectly logical. Just because one culture disapproves of another culture does not mean it is incorrect.

 

Many wars were started from intolerance of other's cultures. For example, during World War II, Hitler was intolerant of the Jewish practices. Instead of agreeing to disagree, he viewed the culture he was raised in as superior to that of others. Rather than respecting other people's beliefs, he took it upon himself to "fix" the Jews. Hitler does not exemplify the frame of mind that James Rachel was trying to get across. I believe people of different cultures should be tolerant of one another because no one has the right to declare another culture as incorrect.

Fate-October

Fate

 

Is there such a thing as fate? This is a very controversial topic in the media world. Are our actions and decisions already made for us by a greater power or do we have free will? I personally believe in a mix between the two. I believe that everything happens for a reason. Even when something negative occurs it is because God was keeping something worse from happening, given he has a plan for us. I believe that we have the power of choice, but God already knows the choices we are going to make, thus even though we are making day to day decisions, our choices are part of a larger plan. Another aspect of fate I believe in is that the decisions of others impact our own lives. Human interaction plays a large part in our perspectives on live and allows different opportunities to come our way. Since human lives are so tightly linked, any decision will alter another's life in some way. While I believe that our paths can be altered by others, I trust that our lives are monitored and planned out by God. Fate is a very tricky subject since it involves religious beliefs, which is why I believe in a mix between free will and a fated path by God.

 

In a story we read this month, Oedipus, the characters struggle to defy their prophesized fates. Ironically, even though they try to escape, their fates continue to happen in unexpected ways. For example, Oedipus' fate is to kill his father and marry his mother. Even though he is sent away, he ends up killing his father in an accident and unknowingly marries his mother. I agree with this perception of fate to a certain extent. I understand the idea of a destined path, but I do not think that a human can prophesize a fated future.

 

When I hear this story it reminds me of those movies where the character has to relive a certain day over and over again until he/she accomplishes what he/she is fated to do. One of these movies is called Twelve Dates of Christmas. In this movie, the main character relives Christmas Eve over and over again, until she finds the man she was fated to be with. This movie displays the idea I've been trying to express; our decisions effect our lives and others, but we are still on an overall path of fate by God.



Selfless Deeds-September

Selfless Deeds

Is there such thing as a selfless deed? This is a very common topic in the media world. Many can argue that everything we do is selfish because we will always gain something. I personally agree with this belief. We always receive something in return for a deed whether we intend to or not. For example, let's say that I hold the door for someone because that is the nice, polite thing to do. I don't expect that person to pay me or give me anything in return for holding the door for them. They will, however, probably say "thank you." By saying "thank you," I now have a sense of pleasure because I know that someone is grateful for what I did. Every single thing we do benefits us in some way, whether it be by receiving a material item or a sense of pleasure. I honestly cannot think of an example where we do not gain something in return. Even in instances of pain, we endure that suffering because there is something that we gain out of it in the end. Every time you are given a choice, you always gain something from it. It's inevitable. You probably don't even think about half of the choices and deeds you make throughout your everyday life, but you are subconsciously doing these things and gaining something from them, whether you are aware of it or not.

In one of the AP books we read this summer, The Fountainhead, Toohey states that "a totally selfless interest in one's fellow men is possible in this world, Peter." I don't disagree with Toohey in this statement. I believe that our actions can be intended to be selfless. I argue, however, that while actions can be intended to be selfless, we still unintentionally gain things out of them. Like in the example I talked about earlier, when you hold the door for somebody you don't do it to help yourself, but to help another person, which is selfless. The feeling of pleasure that you receive after you hold that door, however, is what causes holding the door to no longer be a selfless deed.

When I think of this topic, it reminds me of the T.V. show, Friends. There was this one episode where Phoebe was trying to find an "unselfish deed," but to no avail. She even let a bee sting her because she knew that that wouldn't make her happy and the bee could "brag to all of his bee friends", only to realize that after a bee stings you, it dies. By the end of the show Phoebe realizes what I've been trying to say, that no matter how we go about our actions we will always gain something out of them, whether it be a material item or sense of pleasure, thus there is no such thing as a selfless deed.