Media Violence

I don't believe that television programs or video games have a big effect on what led people to become hardcore criminals. I think it all depends on what types of neighborhoods people grew up in, and the kinds of parents they've had during their early lives. For example, some parents make their children follow their route, and abuse society's rules in a way that is not acceptable. So, nobody ever knows what kind of desires those children will have when they grow up, and they might do something very dangerous that reflects back on their parents. The problem with video games is that there is no actual evidence that shows how it makes kids become violent, because there are a lot of things that can set them off, and it doesn't specifically have to be video games because they've played it. I've played video games that involve wars, and shooting other people. The thought of bringing a gun to school and shooting everybody has never crossed my mind, because I'm not a criminal who kills people for fun, and besides I don't live in a neighborhood with guns available on the streets where people will just hand it to you. But, if people want to talk about the real criminals, then they should look into their history, and they can find out for themselves that criminals are not video games characters! Most of them grew up in neighborhoods where killing was the only way to survive, and others have major sickness, like the Anti-Social Personality Disorder. I don't have the research to say what's true and not, but I can be sure that only a minor percentage of the population could become violent because of video games, or television shows like "Tom and Jerry," which they watched when they were kids. I don't even remember what I've watched on television when I was young, and I feel as if everything I did when I was eight or younger is completely washed out of my brain.

Media Violence

Cultural critics perennially blame violent content in television, film, video games, and music for violent behaivor in young people. There is much evidence to prove this statement. Games such as Grand Theft Auto, and movie like, "The Godfather," just to name a few are perfect examples. As with video games, muscal groups such as Lil Wayne who sing "Lollipop," also incorporate violence in the choice of words. This could also cause a very negative effect on a child and influence them to get into serious trouble. A 2001 review of the seventy top selling video games found eighty-nine percent contained some kind of violence. Half of all the games contained serious violence, while forty-percent contained comic violence. In forty-one percent of the games, violence was necessary for protagonists to achieve their goals. In seventeen percent of the games, vioence alone was the primary focus of the game. It is greatly due to the violent media that surrounds our culture today that so many of our children get into trouble with the law and ultimately get busted by police officers. Researchers have found for a fact, that children tend to be more physically and verbally aggresive immediately after watching violent television shows, movies and/or playing video games. It is also a fact that naturally aggressive children and teenagers watch more violent television than their less aggressive peers. Another noteworth bit of information is that early exposure to television and movie violence seems to increase aggression in later years. Furthermore, I support John Davidson's, "Menace to Society," very aquetable.

Perhaps, if the companies that make the video games and the rap artists that produce the songs would have a less vioent message to our chidlren/teenagers, the death rate amongst them would decrease! It is almost impossible to believe how many frequent swear words or use of weapons are used in such type of music. The "message" in rap music is often related to violent behavior. It is unfortunate that we cannot turn back time to the 1980s and early 1990s when one would not dare sing or create any type of media that could harm the minds of young people in our society.

The way in which a person is raised certainly plays a major role iin their general behavior. If a child is brought up in a broken/disfunctional family with little eduction, and guidance, the child will more than likely have poor judgement and consequently poor or violent type of behavior. A child who grows up in a family with refinement and good values (even if they watch television or listen to rap music occassionally) will be les likely to grow up with a violent demeanor.

In the future, if and when I have children, I know I will try to teach them how to make good choices, not bad ones. I will hope my offspring will make me proud and ignore the negative influences that will surround them during their formative years. I hope I have made my parents proud of me thus far. On a a final note, every twenty-five seconds a child is arrested for some tpye of cruelty act. Shouldn't this tell companies and rap artists something? Children are supposed to be the future of our generation, not the fate of agony!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest & Cool Hand Luke

In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and the film Cool Hand Luke, both main characters practiced similar roles. Randall Patrick McMurphy was actually in a prison farm before they sent him to the mental institution. Lucas and McMurphy are similar in a lot of ways, and most importantly they are self made heroes. They both tried to escape from the prison camp; Lucas by running away countless of times, and McMurphy by claiming that he's a lunatic. One of the many different events that have caught my attention are the bets they each made. Lucas's bet was that he can eat fifty eggs in one hour, and McMurphy bets that he can lift the control panel in the tub room. Both bets were very difficult to achieve, and even though one succeeds and the other fails, they both gave an effort and tried their best. When Lucas was done eating fifty boiled eggs, he was laying down in a position similar to the crucifiction of Jesus Christ, and when McMurphy didn't have the strength to lift the control panel, his hands started to bleed symbolizing the blood coming from Jesus Christ's nail scarred hands. They are both being referred to as the savior Jesus Christ, who's job was to save the world. They are very different from the rest. They do things according to what's on their mind, and they don't fear any of the consequences. They each tried to surpass their authority for a lot of reasons, and the most important one is to relief the other men from their misery. To rather awaken them from their nightmares. To give them a sense of life and hope. They loved to gamble, even with their lives. For once, they both doubted their abilities, and started to conform with their roles, but then couldn't hold on to it anymore, so it cost them their lives. McMurphy was lobotomized, and Lucas was shot. But, they remained as the heroes in the minds of others. The only major difference in between the two is the person that was in control of them. For McMurphy it was nurse Ratched, and for Lucas it was the boss of the prison camp. It just goes to show that anybody can become an evil force, and the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, was not misogynous.

School Musical: "Anything Goes"

"I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're The Top," "Anything Goes." These are amongst the few songs from Cole Porter's famous musical, "Anything Goes," which was selected to be the fall musical presentation at Groves High School. "Anything Goes" is about a young man who falls in love with a beautiful girl. When he sees his love aboard a luxury ocean liner, sailng form New York to Enlgand with her fiancee, to get married, he must divise away to break up the planned wedding. Personally, I believe this play that Mr. Rutherford and his colleagues put on, is by far one of the best selections I have seen since becoming a student at Groves.

However, the play tends to "push the envelope" as far as school regulations go. In the play, a gangster regularly flaunts and uses a gun and the use of wine and liquor is reflected. Is this an appropriate message to be sent to Birmingham School District students? Should there have been a different approach to this musical, or do you think that the "inappropriate" parts of the play could have been taken out to suit all ages! Why do you think Mr. Rutherford chose to keep it in the play? Or was he limited to being able to use only the Cole Porter original?

As I take part in the school musical playing in the pit (orchestra), I wondered if it would be a sellout play. Remarkably, there were many unoccupied seats. Could there be a reason behind this? Though this play is glowing with enthusiasm, the school charges quite a bit of money for admission. More or less, this musical seems to be a shorter play than usual. Last year, tickets were a dollar or two less for both students and adults. I wonder why. All in all, it is hard to believe that my four years in high school is coming to a close, and I may never will play in an orchestra again. I hope all the best for the future Groves High School actors to reach "the top" in the GPAC!

Incidentally, the play is very good---I know that the students worked hard to put on a good performance and hopefully this play will not offend or hurt anyone's feelings in any way! Remember, this play took place in the 1950's when segregation and racism were active. Student tickets cost $10 and adult tickets cost $12, a hefty price to pay! ☺

Presidential Elections: Barack "The Rock" Obama Wins!

Yesterday our country went to the polls around the country to vote for the next president of the United States. Unbelievably, this was the first time that no matter who Americans chose for the presidency, either would make history. If Americans chose John McCain to become president he would not only be the oldest president to serve our country, but he would also have the first female vice president suppporting him. If Americans chose Barack Obama, he would be the first African-American president. Incidently, our country found out at approximately, 10:45 p.m. that Barack Obama was the winner and made history by being elected the first African-American president. He won by both the electoral vote and popular vote. The final electoral vote count gave Barack Obama 364 electoral votes, while John McCain only had 163 electoral votes. The electoral college requires 270 votes to be elected president. I hope my fellow Americans chose the right person to lead our country in the right direction and I hope he will give us promised change. I know many presidents in the past have lied, especially Bush, with the promises they offered Americans, but I believe Barack Obama will be more truthful than the others. I wonder if having voted for him will give our country a greater positive appearance to the rest of the world, than our current view. Anyone could tell from this youtube video of President-Elect Barack Obama in Chicago, that he understands the importance of keeping his campaign promises.

I consider Barack Obama to be very similar to Jesus Christ, just as R. P. McMurphy resembled Jesus Christ in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," because he is going to help people experience less hardship. I believe that Barack Obama will be able to restore people's lives and lead our country back to being the most successful country in the world. The way in which the Republican party, and particularly George Bush, has steered our country into being despised by other countries, is horrible! I think all the talk about him and the legacy of his presidency is accurate. President-Elect Obama recognizes all of the Bush critics. He will give people many chances and reasons to change. He will create a different lifestyle and sense of pride for being an American, just like how Jesus Chrst created a new lifestyle for members of the Christian faith.

In conclusion, I am glad that Ameircnas have finally answered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream by viewing everyone equal. His dream was to, "have little black boys and little white boys live in harmony." Forty years later, his dream came true. We have an African-American president that will lead our country in the right direction. It is truly remarkable how only forty years after formalized segregation and racism was eliminated, that people have finally started to understand each other. I will always remember this close and historical election for many years to come. Yes, WE CAN hope for change and a NEW way of life!

McMurphy's Sacrifice

I was shocked when I read to the end of the novel and found out about McMurphy's death, however, as we were dicussing significant events in class I knew his submission to the nurse was getting closer, but I never guessed that it would cost him his life. I still question the actions he had taken at the end, and most importantly why would he choose to stay in the hospital to choke nurse Ratched instead of escaping out of that same window where Sandy and Turkle had escaped from. Moreover, why would Bromden kill McMurphy? Doesn't that just show how he is defeated, or is it the opposite. How is McMurphy considered to be a martyr? Did he try to kill the nurse in order to benefit the patients of the ward, or was it for his own benefit. Did he choke the nurse because he felt his manhood was broken, and thus wanted to rebel against the force which caused that? Well, I found out that Bibbit's death answers that question. How would the story have been different if Billy never committed suicide, would McMurphy escape, or would he have done the same and tried to kill the nurse. I think that there is a bigger chance of him leaving the ward instead, because it wouldn't make any sense to stay. McMurphy was also symbolized as the savior Jesus Christ, so that itself tells which side he fought for, which is clearly the patients. What I don't understand is why he did it though after when he found out about the patients not being committed, wouldn't just make sense that it would rather be the patients to save McMurphy, but that defeats the whole purpose of why McMurphy is so different than the patients. In conclusion, I would say that McMurphy had to die because he's the hero, and most heroes die in order to get things done, and pass a message onto the next generation.

Advertising

At first, I thought the targeted audience of this Burger King advertisement is for children, because at the end the guy says, "New BK bacon double homestyle melt, better than mom can make." But then I gave it some more thought, and watched it again. I saw that the first lady who talked was kind of desperate to eat that sandwich by looking at her face, so I decided to include the mothers into the category, and then the fathers, because they also eat what food mothers cook. The ages of the targeted audience should be from four to fifty five, and that's about reasonable, because older people like grandma and grandpa usually eat something different according to what's healthy for them, and younger people than four, well, I can't guarantee if they'll finish up the whole sandwich without throwing up, so they're going to have to order a smaller size or something else. I also decided that the targeted audience are middle class people because that bacon double homestyle melt isn't a fancy food, like lobster or anything you eat at a fancy restaurant.

The environment around is very calm at the beginning, and then it gets interrupted by those moms who are trying to run over the Burker King. So, as things escalate from this calm environment to the chaotic psycho moms, you can see that the product is the main focus of this whole advertisment with all the angry disturbance about it, but you might think different according to what you see, and rather think it's funny how they went after him, and that's when you unconsciously recieve the message of this advertisment, however, I don't know if that's good enough to make you buy the product, but a closer look at the product in the end makes it look tasty enough to buy. They leave you with that image of the new bacon, so it can regenerate unconsciously into your thoughts when you are walking by a Burger King restaurant.

Television Ad: "Reptillian Hot Buttons;" Don't Push My Buttons!

This particular television ad was aired during Superbowl XLII (2008). As everyone knows, all Superbowl ads are amognst the best (and most expensive) ads shown on television all year. I would think that all television ads during superbowl season or any television ad on any day should be "clever," because thirty to sixty second ads cost about a million dollars. It is remarkable how anyone can afford that much money for a clip that lasts for as long of a time as it takes to urinate in a restroom!

In this particular ad, a squirrel runs out to a street to pick up an acorn that fell from a tree. As this innocent squirrel is getting his acorn, a roaring car comes around the bend and nearly hits the animal. As the car inches closer to the squirrel, it lets out a boisterous scream along with a racoon, an owl, a rabbit, a rat, a turtle, a deer, a cricket and three gophers. Obviously these animals were fictional, because no animal can scream almost human-like! Even the wife was screaming, sounding like the animals! Luckily, the driver saw the squirrel and swerves out of the way just in the knick of time.

This ad is trying to subliminally encourage the general American culture to be aware of where they are and to always pay attention to the road. The more durable a car and/or it's tires are will help reduce the amount of roadkill on roads. This ad went for the target consumers of the product, which were Bridgestone tires. The worst thing that could happen to a driver is to kill something or to get into an accident. Personally, I do not understand why it is called an accident. Let's say, for example, the driver in this ad did not see the squirrel and hit it. I would not consider this to be an accident, rather it is an "incident" caused by inattention! Animals are keys to our lives and environment.

The "reptillian hot buttons" this ad pushes is to humanize animals and to make us view them as people. This ad also indirectly pushes for greater sales for its foreign manufacturer (Japan) which is never really identified throughout the ad's message. Ads of this subliminal nature actually cause a significant financial landfall for foreign sponsors that the ad never identifies. Corporations always try to rig their products to make them look better than what they truly are. It is an effective way for corporations to exaggerate the truth.

In conclusion, I am a very careful driver and have never killed or harmed an animal in any way, even without the Japanese tires. Just like the driver in the ad, I would do all I could to swerve out of the way. In my mind, killing an animal of any kind, should be considered murder! In the ad, the narrator says, "for drivers who want to get the most out of their cars." This ad does not need to use animals as potential victims to make their sales point. Though this ad was cute, the same message could have gotten across in another way.

Supersize Me: Would You Like That To Be Supersized?!

For the past few days, we have been watching a movie called, "Supersize Me." In this movie a young man undergoes a thirty day trial restricting his eating to only McDonald's, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Before he begins his trial he is medically tested for health problems or any other issues that might not allow him to successfully complete this thirty day trial. It is important that one gets tested for any medical problems before beginning anything that could cause harm to yourself. It is hard to believe that this young man was able to go a full thirty days eating only McDonald's. Almost consistently he ordered the supersize value meal. Hence, this is how the movie got the cartoon-like, but disturbing title.

There are over 31,000 McDonald restaurants worldwide, employing more than 1.5 million people. McDonald's operates in more than 119 countries, on six continents. Can you guess which continent they don't have one on? People truly do not realize the number of calories they consume on a daily basis, let alone the number of calories each McDonald’s meal has. An order of large fries at McDonald’s is equivalent to consuming an entire conventional meal. I would rather consume five bags of candy than purchase an order of large fries that are saturated in oily fats. As much as I love McDonald’s and fast food restaurants, the government should ask McDonald’s to refrain from selling any single food item that exceeds 500 calories. Our recommended daily diet should not exceed 2,000 calories.

Since there are so many calories in fast food, it can cause many different types of diseases, including obesity, diabetes (Type I and II) and heart disease. With the known risks of an unhealthy high calorie diet, why do people continue to eat at McDonald’s each and every day? McDonald’s employees are trained to be persuasive with their customers. For example, when employees tell their customers you can get the large for only fifty cents more, people readily agree to this offer. I consider this to be unnecessary and a contributor to unhealthy living. If our country needs fast food restaurants, we should have fast food restaurants that serve healthy fast foods, not fast food that is unhealthy.

In conclusion, I believe McDonald’s should be limited as a fast-food restaurant choice. They could easily limit the number of calories in their food offerings, without changing them. Wendy's, a competitor, has done exactly that. To show the unhealthiness of McDonald's food, the subject of “Supersize Me,” only after a day or two of his trial, suffers a powerful “McStomach ache” and actually regurgitates all of the McDonald’s food he consumed. In the end, he almost suffers from a coronary heart problem that could of cost him his life. Shouldn’t this message tell people something?! In the future, all McDonald’s is going to do is create an unhealthy base for future children to develop diabetes or heart problems and become obese! It makes me sad to know that our country is the most obese country in the world. I blame a large part of our country’s obesity on the famous restaurant with the golden arches known as, “MickeyD’s.”

Spirit Week: The Agony, The Pain!

Though spirit week is a time when the school is supposed to show a lot of enthusiasm and pride, this year's spirit week was much different than the norm. During field day on Thursday, the seniors experienced a hurftul thing that ruined our class pride for years to come. Almost every year, routinely, the senior class wins the bucket, because it is their last year. This year the rules were changed and made a little different. Ever since this class entered Groves High School as freshmen in 2005, the field day bucket competition was always rigged, meaning that it was pre-arranged for the senior class to win the bucket. This year the classes had to play fair and make every effort win the bucket for their class. This was the first time ever that the senior class did not win the bucket. Essentially our class will leave Groves never having won the bucket. The junior class will not have to worry about that.

As field day on Thursday came to an end, we as seniors were astonished to find out that we came in second place trailing behind the juniors by only ten points. Our class of roughly 300 students, many of whom broke into tears, tried to understand what hit us as the juniors retrieved the symbolic bucket indicating that they won field day. Field day is a very important day during spirit week for which the seniors always win. We threatened to plan a "senior skip day" that Friday to demonstrate how hurt we were. Ever since we were freshmen we were waiting to become seniors to claim our bucket prize, showing that we truly are the kings and queens of the school. We will never forget the hurt imposed on our class by not winning the bucket. The only consolation was that we at least won powderpuff football, and overall spirit week.

In conclusion, to some people a "bucket" is not a significant issue to cry over. However, the bucket is a symbol of sprit week to seniors. It is hard to explain what it means to the seniors, but it shows a tremendous symbol of pride. Everyone knows we won fair and square. Rumors have gone around that the juniors even stole some of our ideas in order to win extra points in some of the competitions that were played. When field day ended, we were not the only class that thought the judges made a mistake with their decision. Even the freshmen and sophmore classes thought the judges made a mistake. At least, on Friday, we replaced the hurt and returned to living in one "house," cheering on our football team to victory over Royal Oak High School and ending the spirit week of 2008 on a positive note. I personally think spirit week is a ludicrous activity and I hope schools will no longer force each class to compete with each other. School administrators will eventually discover that it does not bring spirit within each class. Instead, it brings anger and agony between classes!

P.S. I hope that homecoming will be a safe and hazard free environment. I know that the senior class will try to hold no grudges.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest: This Novel Drives Me Cukoo!

Our class has been reading a book called "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" for the past few weeks. This book takes place within a secure mental hospital, somewhere in the state of Oregon. All the characters that are presented in this book are diverse, with different disabilities. Although this book degrades many people and has strong usage of profanity, literary critics consider it to be one of the best books written during of the 20th century. This book illustrates a strong lesson of human nature versus nurture. I find it hard to believe that this book has been critically acclaimed all over the world and had a movie made from the original text. I found this book to be very disturbing to read, and I do not understand how some "cuckoo" could write such a lucrative book.

I did not realize that the book received much criticism for its apparent misogyny and racism. However, as I was reading the novel, I immediately recognized a number of offensive racial comments by the narrator. An example of such remarks was how he singled out the black orderlies in the institution by calling them "black boys" and how he referred to the nurses as being either castrated or prostitutes. I do not think that anyone in this modern world would consider such degradation to be appropriate. However because this book took place during the 1960's (when it was supposedly acceptable to say those things) there were no real consequences as opposed to consequences that would be imposed in this modern, post civil rights era. The narrator, a paranoid schizophrenic, often divorced from reality, presents to the reader that his credibility may not be 100%. The reader may believe him to be exaggerating the issues or they may be totally removed from reality. Many other challenges may also be brought into question. Paranoid schizophrenia is a significant disability that disables one from understanding reality.

In conclusion, the novel helped usher in the change in culture that defined the 1960's, also known as the baby boomer years, which helped define the different personality types that live on this world. Every character in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," came from a culturally different perspective. The moral lesson of this book is trying to illustrate the different types of cultures within our society. It utilized the backdrop of mental illness as demonstrating only one micrccosim of society. It chose the bad backdrop to illustrate society in general!

Presidential Elections: Who Will Win--Obama or McCain?

As we inch closer and closer to the moment we have all been waiting for, we will soon find out who the next president will be to serve our country. There are many positives and negatives on both sides of the candidacy. However, if the Republicans win, I would be personally disappointed. The last time the Democratic party won was when William J. Clinton won in 1993. It has been exactly eight years that we have had a Republican in the White House. It is time for a Democrat to lead our country into the right direction.

Although both presidential candiates have a lot to offer to the country, Barack Obama appears to have more strengths than John McCain. The most obvious strength is Barack Obama's youth and he also appears to be more intelligent and charismatic than John McCain. Barack Obama also sees our country not as a whole but as being made up of individual needs and individual problems. I truly feel that Barack Obama understands everyone, no matter if you are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, etc. John McCain on the other hand, seems more in tune with big business interests. Also, not to leave out the obvious fact, Obama would also be the first African-American president. Another history making event.

On the other hand, John McCain has an extensive understanding of our country's strengths and weaknesses. John McCain has been a United States Senator for many years and his foreign policy experience exceeds that of Barack Obama. John McCain, is also better known than Barack Obama who is not widely known outside his home state of Illinois, so he has to boost his recognition as the next president of the United States of America. Did you know that John McCain was not born in the United States, unlike Barack Obama, who was? John McCain was actually born in Panama when it was considered a U.S. territory. The only reason why he can run for the presidency, is because while the Panama Canal was being constructed, it was then a U.S. territory called the Canal Zone. If this were not true, he would not be constitutionally eligible to run for president.

In conclusion, I see this race as being one of the closest presidential elections yet. My father, and brother who are liberals, say that this will be a "landslide." However, my grandparents and mother are conservatives, so I am stuck in between who I should vote for in the next presidential elections. We do need change in politcal parties to try and correct the tragic things that have happened to our country within the past seven years. I do not understand why these two good people have to be so harsh on each other just to win presidency! At least, whoever wins, we will make history as to Barack Obama being the first African-American to serve our country or John McCain to be the oldest president to serve our country. Even Sarah Palin will make history by becoming the first female Vice-President.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I didn't realize that this novel has been banned by many different schools because of its racism and misogyny, I don't believe that Ken Kesey was aiming for that. I don't know if his interpretation of Nurse Ratched is part of being sexist, or just using her as a symbol of dictatorship. After the first group meeting with McMurphy arriving at the hospital, he said that she's a ball-cutter, and was trying to defend the patients at the mental institution, he also mentioned that some of them arn't as crazy as they are supposed to be, and that they are just being locked up from their freedom, so he wants to help them out by changing the way things are in the mental institution, and in order to do that he has to surpass or bring down the head of the institution which they all believe is Nurse Rachted who's in control, and not the doctor. I think that Nurse Ratched is more on task, and she's just trying to do the best in her job to make herself happy, I dont believe that she's emasculating the patients in order to that, but McMurphy and Harding made an argument about it, and they agreed that she is indeed trying to emasculate them, or as they called her a ball-cutter. I still didn't read the author's thought about Nurse Ratched except for her physical description, but Cheif Bromden never talked about how he hated Nurse Ratched to the guts like the others, except that he hates when she tells the black boys to shave him in the morning. And just because he referred to the aides as "black boys" it doesn't mean that he's racist, after all African Americans are black, and there is nothing wrong of saying that.

If some of the patients aren't committed, then why don't they just leave the mental institution? Why do they feel as if they have to put up with Nurse Ratched instead of being out there in the world where they can do whatever they want according to law, but still have much more freedom than being locked inside the institution, what are they afraid of? I mean it's really worth a try, and that's what I think will happen after McMurphy and the others go fishing.

Mean Girls

This movie is too dramatic and unreal, I mean generally speaking there are no groups of popular boys or girls that are worshipped by students or even teachers, it just doesn't exist, and you can't say there are groups of "unpopular" students, because they still have their own group, and to be "popular" as I see it, in other words is just having friends. However, being a loner doesn't mean that a person is unpopular, maybe he/she are introverted and don't like spending time socializing with others, and that doesn't make them losers. In schools, students are always divided into certain groups of friends, or cliques; group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, or patterns of behavior, and who ever doesnt fit a specific clique means that he/she can't be accepted into that group, and that's what I think is dividing the Groves community apart even though they try to make everybody respect each other's differences, so students will communicate with one another. But the main problem is that some students are unwilling to change their attitudes toward the others, and this certainly happens in schools that hold larger number of students, like in West Bloomfield High School. One day I was walking in the hallway, and I overheard a girl saying, "oh, hell no" when a gay guy was walking infront of her, wearing a girl sort of clothing; red pants, pink jacket. It's very difficult to bring a whole community together, because there are always different types of cliques, and it's very unmanageable to break them down to only one.

I know that most young men are always interested in what a girl has to offer, and it's always based on looks and not smarts, but what I dont understand is why do some girls feel as if they need to dumber themselves to attract certain guys? Why can't they just be themselves, and not try to make themselves look stupid like what Cady did in that movie, she purposely failed math quizes, so she can make Aaron Samuels tutor her. Where is their self-esteem?

Mean Girls: The Movie

In class, we watched a movie called "Mean Girls." This movie clearly emphasizes that there are many different types of people with different personalities in school. Generally, you conform your school behavior to the group of people you identify as your friends. In "Mean Girls," there is a group of girls called the "plastics" who appear to be the worst people to befriend because they make fun of everybody and stress negatives about their supposed "friends." These girls also talk behind other kids backs for no good reason other than to upset them. This often causes an innocent student to lose a friendship based upon gossip that the "plastics" committed. For high school students, like those in this movie, talking behind someone's back or ridiculing another person for absolutely no reason, is very immature.

When I was growing up I was often ridiculed at my old school, which was a private Jewish Day School, becuase I learned differently and I was perceived to be a "little strange." Just because someone acts different does not give another person the right to degrade a classmate's inner-self. When one degrades another person, it leads to greater frustration and causes the child to learn negative things about other people and destroys former friendships that will never be resumed. Also, I will be the first to admit that there are some kids at school I ridicule and tease because I learned the hard way from students that riducled me for things that I could not help. I know that I should not do this and I do not understand why our generation cannot simply accept kids for who and what they are.

So, my question is, why do children "single-out" other students just because they are different? Have you ever been accused of being a bully, by degrading another student because they were different, or were you the victim of a bully? If you were a bully, explain how it made you feel. I can say first-handed, that when a person singles-out another person by talking behind their backs because they are different is very hurtful. I hope one day students will know the true meaning behind the saying, "Treat others the way you would like to be treated."

Tough Guise: Are Men Tougher Than Women Or Are Women Tougher Than Men?

On Wednesday, we watched a movie called "Tough Guise," which in my opinion was very biased. Jackson Katz, the narrator of the movie, based his opinions solely on the hypothesis that boys have to look and act tough to demostrate their masculinity and to gain respect. Hence, that is how the movie got the name "Tough Guise." I believe that it is a lack of education and upbringing or home environment that causes these boys to act this way. I also think that today's war based atmosphere promotes guns and violent behavior which adds to this desire for a "macho" tough image.

In my spare time, I like to watch a show with my dad called, "Cops." This movie shows actual footage of police related events. The majority of the offenders in this show are young/adult men. However, there is also a percentage of young/adult women who get into trouble---See below clip as to why women also get into trouble.

I do not understand why males need to use such words as fag, bitch, wuss and pussy in order to express their thoughts about other males that do not swear or fight or give off the "macho" aura. Why do boys give other boys more respect if they swear or fight? There are many other ways to gain respect from people! A philosophy that I use and seems to work for me is just to be friendly and listen to what other people have to say. One does not need to be a tough bully to have people look up to them. I feel that it can be done just as effectively being less aggressive and not getting in someone's face. People will actually have more respect for you using this strategy.

In the book, "Mirror on America," there was a piece on girls not getting much respect from anybody. Why is this? Does this make young/adult men more important because they are tougher than young/adult women? Where would men be without the other gender? It almost seems as though women are not considered essential parts of the American society. People of all ages, sex and color should be treated equally. We were all made in the image of God!

School Dress Code

As I arrived at school on September 2, 2008, to begin my senior year at Wylie E. Groves High School, I was greeted with a barrage of teacher remarks directed toward students who were wearing "inappropriate clothing." Compared to last year, Groves High School no longer is tolerant of violations of the school dress code and now takes stronger actions against students who are viewed as disobedient to the dress code rules. Every year, Groves High School has a "welcome back" meeting, but this year the meeting focused more on the dress code than any other topic. I have not seen such a great emphasis on this topic in the four years that I have been at Groves. I consider it wrong to have a mandatory meeting to explain to us, as young adults, what is approprite to wear and what is not.

A couple of days ago, I saw a teacher confiscate a hat and a cell phone from a student. This student was discretely using his cell phone while wearing his hat and was not annoying anyone. As he was walking to his third hour class, the anonymous teacher confiscated his hat and his cell phone and gave it to his assigned dean. It was not until the end of the day, that his belongings were returned. The administration has stated that if you continue to disobey its policy, not only will your belongings be confiscated, but you could also be suspended from school! This is a ridculous policy that allows a student to be suspended just for wearing clothes that may not match school recomendations! The same issue exists for girls who wear tight pants or short skirts even though their undergarments are not viewed. In this case, if a teacher spots a girl wearing what they determine to be inappropriate attire, they are ordered to go home and change into something more "school-like." The school dress code is arbitrary and unfair.

On the other hand, Seaholm students have more freedom to choose what they can wear at school. The teachers are also more lenient as to their dress code interpretation. At Seaholm High School, I understand that the students are allowed to wear what they please, up to a certain extent while walking to class. Unlike Groves High School, in the event that they wear inappropriate clothes, they do not have to be embarrased and ridiculed by teachers, who require the offending student to wear red scrubs, telling the school "I disobeyed the school dress code." It is hard to understand how two schools within the same school district can have two different dress code policies. I actually consider this distinction to be unconstitutional as a possible intrusion of equal protection and freedom of expression. The majority of high school students understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate dress! I feel that we are not treated as adults.

Gender Identity

I think popular culture does affect how gender role is viewed by the majority, but mostly it depends on how males and females act into society. Everybody's view on gender role differs, but generally it's viewed as men being the hard workers that support the family financially, and women taking care of the children at home. Men being the masculine type, and females being the feminine type. But, if you look at transvestites that's not the case, there are a lot of men who change the way they physically look into females, because they believe that they are more feminine, and have feelings that a man can't show in public. Transvestites look strange to the public because they're "not" supposed to exist, and that's probably what the majority thinks about it. Through media they are also viewed as being abnormal people, if you take a look at this youtube video Chris Crocker on Maury! where Maury Povich interviews Chris Crocker(who's a transvestite), at the end of the video Maury says, "America will never ever forget you," and thats probably because he's abnormal, and they way the crowd looks at him is different from looking at a normal person who's gender identity/role is the same as the others. The fundamental, innate gender differences is not exactly what makes people the way they are, or else there wouldn't be any transvestites, but it's the way people feel about themselves that make them act in a certain behavior.

Tough Guise

I certainly believe that it depends on how a child is brought up to this world, and what his parents taught him during the early ages of his life, helps to shape the way he lives as a man. But, a major part of that also comes from the media, I think the media has a large effect on young kids. These kids(ages 12-16) take on this very tough masculine personality from watching other people(actors, UFC fighters etc.) on television, like Sylvester Stallone or Brock Lesnar, and unconsciously they start to act tough like them without realizing the purpose of it. Killing innocent students in public schools can be influenced by how society is affecting certain people, and also by watching movies like "Batman: The Dark Knight" where a lot of people have commented on the spectacular performance of the joker, but they were never fully aware that he was a cold hearted killer, and this movie was intentionally to be rated PG-13! The words pussy, fag, wuss, and bitch are used a lot in many different movies to address other people who are the weaklings, and it's most widely used in rap music. All of this influences what young kids grow up to be, and most of it is negative influence. It's not that everybody wants to act tough inorder to gain respect, there are a lot of people who are very kind and respectful to others. As for education, I think it also influences the way people live and act among others, but i dont believe that men are less educated than women. I think that everybody should have an equal opportunity, and that we all should get along so that no one is hurting anybody physically or emotionally.

Fairenheit 9/11 Or Unfairenheit 9/11: That Is The Question Nobody Knows!

Michael Moore's controversial film certainly attacks and ridicules President Bush and his administration for its failure to anticipate and respond effectively to the events of 9/11/01. Michael Moore clearly implies in this movie that he is not just anti-Republican, but he is actually anti-Bush! I believe that all of the facts that Moore presents in this movie are accurate in origin; however, some of the stated facts are somewhat distorted. On the other hand, Bush supporters would think that all the things said were completely false and that Moore deliberately used propaganda and half-truths in order to attack our president.

One distorted example was when President Bush continued his golf game and later attended an elementary school function after the World Trade Center was attacked. He made it almost seem as if it was no big deal to President Bush. This dreadful event was one of the worst events recorded in U.S. history. Also, the cartoon-like music in this movie was designed to deceive the viewer's ability to separate fact from fiction. I believe Moore used the cartoon-like music in order to emphasize the cartoon-like caricature he attempted to portray Bush as being such to the people of America.

I believe the movie attempted to persuade the viewer through the use of propaganda. Christopher Hitchens, a Michael Moore critic, did not believe anything that Michael Moore presented in this movie. He suggested that the proper name of the movie should have been "Unfairenheit 9/11" to represent the "unfairness" depicted in this movie at President Bush. However, there is one similarity between the movie "Fairenheit 9/11" and the essay "Unfairenheit 9/11". They both are bipartisan! When I use the word bipartisan, I mean that it involved members of opposite political parties.

I find it so hard to believe how two different political parties within the same nation can point fingers at each other and blame the issues that have occured over the past seven years on the other. This is similar to what siblings do when they get in fights. They always blame the other one for something they might have begun. In the end, I guess it all really depends on which type of philosophy you were raised: liberal, conservative or independent. Therefore, I guess no one is really right or wrong. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion!

Fahrenheit 9/11

Michael Moore's controversial film can be viewed "good" or "bad" as an interpretation of the Bush administration depending on which people are watching it, and what side they are on. I certainly dislike the Bush administration for all of their false judgments that have made a big impact not only on Americans lives, but also the lives of others, and therefore believe the film was excellent even though it was biased on some of its facts or beliefs. I like how he showed the dead Iraqi people to sicken the stomachs of the many critics of the film, and the supporters of the war on Iraq. However, I also have read the two other opposing view points of Moore's film on the website, and I found out that some of their points were valid, like in the "Unfairenheit 9/11" by Christopher Hitchens, he talks about how if the president have responded instantly after the news of the second plane on 9/11, would make some people think that he went to war on a confused or insane dicision, and others think that he already knew the attack was coming and wanted to use it to empower himself. Both sides could be right or wrong, but it depends on people's judgments of the whole film. But, taking completely into one side and disregarding the other is a false judgment.

9/11: Will This Change The Way We Live Forever?

The effects of 9/11 have had a major impact on American popular culture. I believe that daily American lives were forever altered in a fundamental way. It is very hard to forget the dramatic events that took place on 9/11. Ever since I was a child, I was able to board a plane and travel to different places around the world with no problem. However, since 9/11, stricter rules have been enforced at airports, museums, courthouses, etc. I feel as if I am being singled out and punished when I am forced to undress in front of everyone in a public airport. Each time I am forced to remove my belt, shoes, wallet, and so forth, I feel as if I am living during the Nazi power years, because during the Holocaust, Jewish men and women were ordered to strip, in order for the Gestapo to check for items the Jewish people were not allowed to keep. I irrationally feel almost as if the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) act as if they are the Gestapo.

Throughout the seven years since the 9/11 tragedy struck us, America was forced to become stricter wih their rules and regulations. Could the United States be turning into a dictatorial empire? I certainly hope not. After watching "On Native Soil," I could not believe the complete lack of communication coordination. It took hours and even days to try and coordinate rescue efforts. Watching people falling from 70, 80, even 90 stories high up, tore me apart, as their lives were tearing apart as they inched closer to their death. In my opinion, I believe that the 9/11 attacks could have been prevented with better intelligence. As the movie concluded, I scanned the students in the class and everyone grieved in their own way.

On Native Soil: 9/11

On September 11, 2001, the United States suffered one of the worst tragedies of the 21st century when irrational Islamic terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City. An earlier effort some years back was not successful. This time it was! Why does Al-Qaeda express so much hatred to the United States, its allies and interests, and to no other country? I question why the United States is at war with Iraq. It is fairly clear that the Saudis and its disciples were behind the terrorist attack. Iraq was a convenient excuse because the Saudis were believed to be our ally and we could not risk disrupting the flow of oil, since they are our biggest supplier. In my opinion, I do not think we should be at war with Iraq, since a number of innocent people lost their lives. Alternatively, should we go to war with Saudi Arabia?

John Locke

John Locke's idea stated that in a state of nature all men are equal, and that they are able to create a government to protect people while controlling themselves, but have this idea ever been true? Even in the United States has it ever been completely true? Natural laws are always broken by certain groups of people, so the phrase "all men are equal" is just a myth, I want to hold power and see what it feels like, to see if I would become a dictator and do things for the wrong reasons, or treat people according to that phrase. I think that all contradictions between countries are based on struggles to see who is the most powerful, it has never been about justice. You can't change the minds of millions of people, they always tend to seek for their self-interests. It is sad, but we all have done it at some point in our lives.

On native soil, and the war on Iraq.

It is sad to see so many families lose their loved ones during the September 11 attack of the terrorists on the world trade center, but America has not yet seen what a long lasting war on its soil would do to its popular cutlure. So, after seven years of the attack it would be best to say that the horrific incident is forgotten by most of America's popular culture. It might of been shocking for most citizens of the United States to see their country getting hit, but the impact of that event is only strongly memorable by the people who have been largely effected by it. I for once have seen a war and lived through it in Iraq, and for four years after the contradiction I'm careless to say that it had a big impact on my life, even though it did. Not only my heart beats fast when i hear loud noises, but the suffering that my family went through to get here was tremendous. Some events that I have seen can be disgusting, but when people try to look for the future and forget the past that's when it does not matter anymore. Popular culture was only doing what's best for its country at the time, but soon enough things went back to normal, even though there is another side to the story where normal is not an acceptional term for recent results of actions committed by the Bush administration do to the impact of September 11.