Jillian's Philosophy on Life

American Regress

2009-06-01T10:57:00.006-05:00

This is the picture that I used for my final exam. I think that this picture shows regress of America. I think that the picture is supposed to be Uncle Sam at his weakest, saying that Americans are weak. It is saying that we are lost and need money, and that America is losing. In World War II Uncle Sam was a strong character, he "wanted you". In this picture he "needs your help". This shows hows America has regressed and not progressed. In the final I said that this picture shows desecration to the flag. This shows desecration to the flag, because he is wearing American flag clothes, his stripped pants, and starred shirt around his waste, are both touching the dirty ground with the weight of his body squishing it to the dirt. Also he is using the American flag hat to beg for money, having people put coins from all around in it with the filth of the McDonald's that they just got the change from. His long hair, unshaven face, and no shoes shows that he is facing the bad economy like everyone else, he is poor and in a low social class and needs help like every other average Joe in America now. The sign sitting next to him says "Anything Helps" this shows that he is so desperate that he would take anything. I think that Uncle Sam in this picture is supposed to show what America is like now, he is supposed to represent the average Americans and about the Americans who are suffering from the regression and this bad economy.

Lanuguages

2009-05-30T08:43:00.006-05:00

Last night I was thinking about how cool it would be to speak a language fluently. My brother just got back from spending 6 months in Spain, and now is pretty much fluent in Spanish. I speak a little bit of French, Spanish, and Hebrew, but how cool would it be to be fluent in all three. My friends mom is a translator for the UN and I think that job would be so cool. She speaks like 12 different languages, and gets to travel all over the world. One of my goals in life would be to be fluent in at least one other language than English. After thinking about this yesterday, when I went to bed part of my dream was in Hebrew. I think that it is so cool if you think about that. Dreaming in another language? What does that mean? I also think that it is wierd that there are all these languages around the world, and there is not one person who can go everywhere in the world and know what everyone is saying. My brother who just got back from Barcelona, said that even in the city of Barcelona they had their own language that was completely different from Spanish. I was looking on my Facebook page, and I am friends with people from Israel and Australia, when I read what they wrote, it amazes me that people can be friends with people from other countries even if they don't always know what they are saying. Even though Australians speak English, it is not the same English that we speak, just like in England that is not the same Emglish that we speak. The world started out with only one language, or maybe no language at all, so how did all these different dialects come to be? It is mind boggling. How do some countries speak the same languages, yet they are so far away from each other, and some that are right next to each other speak completely different languages?

What is your opinion on language? Would you rather everyone in every country speak one language, or be fluent in many languages?

Here is a link to all the different languages of the world: http://www.123world.com/languages/

Why do we watch a team that loses?

2009-05-25T21:03:00.004-05:00

The Chicago Cubs have lost the last 7 games. Why do we continue to watch and support our team? The Cubs have been losing for a century and yet they are one of the teams in baseball that has consistent fans and the ball park is always full. Most teams even with a winning season, can barely fill half the park and the Cubs always need standing room. The Cubs have on average 40,000 fans a game and they still have that many fans even though they have lost the last 7 games. They stink and yet we still pay to watch. I am sitting at home watching the game tonight and seeing that they are winning for once, I am surprised, but do I expect a win, NO! Are you crazy, there is a slim chance that when you watch a Cubs game they are actually going to win. Even though over the past few years they have gone to the playoffs, they always seem to screw it up. I am one of those devoted Cubs fans, I have been since the day I was born. My grandparents have had season tickets for 20 years and they are still loyal and go to the games and they can still sell their tickets. People still want to watch the Cubs lose, and I am one of those people I just can not seem to understand why. The Cubs are also one of the only teams in the MLB that will have fans at every game no matter where the game is played. I think that with this bad economy people would be cutting back, but I have been to two games this year and the park is always filled and people are still buying food and souvenirs like always.

Would you spend money to go watch a team lose in this economy?

Why do you think that people are still Cubs fans and will be forever even though they have not won a World Series in over a century?

American Flag Cubs Hat

2009-05-10T17:12:00.012-05:00

For the past week in my Anerican Studies class we have been talking about the American Flag and how it can be represented in different ways. We have talked about how people use the flag as plates on the fourth of July and how after September 11th how a lot of Americans hung a flag, and how now a lot of those people have taken down their flags. We talked about how people when they run a marathon afterwards they drape themselves with an American Flag. Isn't that disrespectful? putting the flag all over your sweaty body. We talked about how they lay the flag over a dead soldiers coffin and how that is a honor to have the flag. We also talked about how you can not burn the flag and you can not have the flag touch the ground, and you have to fold the flag in a certain way.

This weekend we were supposed to take a picture of the flag in some way and analyze it. I decided to take a picture of one of my Cubs hats. In the "C" on the hat there is an American Flag. This is the hat that they wore last September 11th. All the teams in baseball wear the same thing, it has their logo and an American Flag in it. I think that it is interesting that they have the baseball players all wear the American Flags in a suttle way. I also think that it is interesting that they would sell the hats for Americans to buy. Since baseball is an American sport and most Americans watch it, I think that it is interesting that they would choose that sport to wear an Amerian Flag. We know how the flag is used in other places and times, like times of war the flag is used to represent our country. I think that in this case where the flag is on the hat, it is there to remember what happened on September 11th. I think that it is interesting that baseball is still remembering, but other Americans are taking down their flags. In my house we used to only put the flag up aroung July 4th. Now we have the flag up all year long hanging outside our house.

Swine Flu

2009-05-03T16:23:00.006-05:00

So a lot of people are freaking out about the swine flu, and I do not understand why. The normal flu kills around 30,000 people each year, this flu has killed almost no amount compared to that. The whole thing with if one person in your school gets sick with swine flu, the school has to close down for 7 days, that is crazy. I don't think that if one person has swine flu that the whole school would have to shut down, and even if it did have to shut down not for a whole week.

On Friday in my Ameircan Studies class, someone said that in egypt they were killing all of their pigs because pigs are the ones that create swine flu. First of all the pigs in Egypt are meant to eat compost and they are just making their environment worse by killing all the pigs. Second, you can not actually get swine flu from pigs.

Also in class we were talking about how the name swine flu was offensive to Arabs because swine means pig in Arabic, so they had to change the name. I think that it is stupid and who cares if the disease is named a word that translates into pig, I don't see how this is offensive, most people who speak Arabic do not eat pig any way, so they should not take it to offense.

I think that the whole epidemic is being over done by the media and that if the media did not make a big deal of it then it would not have made people freak out.

What do you think about all this? Do you think that the swine flu is a big deal or made to be bigger by the media?

Junior Theme: Body Paragraphs

2009-04-25T14:37:00.004-05:00

I have a section of my paper done, it is the middle part of my paper. I thought that it would be the easiest section to write, so I started there. I am going to share it with all of you. I hope you like, and remember it is just a rough draft. Please comment on what you think I could do better.

The media manipulates Americans subliminally. Advertising agencies use subliminal means—means that we are not conscious of—to persuade us to buy the products and services (Berger 63). Americans are being manipulated by the media with out even knowing. When people walk into a store and are deciding what to buy they will buy the product that they were unconsciously thinking about from an advertisement. Most people don’t know when they are being influenced by an advertisement. 8.8 hours per day is spent with the media (55). That is ridiculous; most of the time that a person is awake during the day is spent with the media. On the way to work there are billboards, radio commercials, newspaper ads, and so on. Most of an average person’s day is spent being manipulated by the media with out being aware of it. The way that the media is so successful and gets Americans to consume is by subliminal advertisements. There are secret messages with in an ad. There are ways that they make their service or product successful and people don’t even know why they are buying the product. Wilson Bryan Key in Subliminal Seduction explains that the basis of modern media effectiveness is a language within a language—one that communicates to each of us at a level beneath our conscious awareness (62). Each ad has a deeper meaning that is beneath the surface, and we do not see that meaning, but our mind does, unconsciously see the deeper meaning.

Advertisement affects the mind; there is a deep, hidden unconscious force that manipulates the mind with out being aware of it. Berger explains that many people overestimate the role of willpower and think that nothing can happen to their minds that they do not decide or intend. He says that we must discriminate between intentional and unintentional contents of the mind (61). When watching a commercial on television most people think that they can with stand the manipulation to buy what is being advertised, but what most people don’t realize is that even if you are not consciously being manipulated by an ad, there is a deeper level that manipulates Americans without knowledge of it. Some people think that consumers are always aware of what is going on and that the media can not manipulate them unconsciously.

Not only does the media manipulate Americans subliminally to over consume, Americans are also influenced by what others do too. When one person is subliminally manipulated by the media, then others are subliminally manipulated by that person. It is a chain reaction that the media manipulates, leading Americans into over consuming. Humans are inherently social animals, and individuals greatly influence each other (Perner). When one person wears a designers’ clothes, then all their friends want those designers’ clothes also, when one buys many follow, which leads to over consuming. Without even realizing it everyone is influencing someone else and someone is influencing that person, so it is a cycle of wanting and over consuming. Berger states that we are always marketing ourselves to others and they are always marketing themselves to us, this is the manipulation which leads to over consumption (66). People are unaware that they are being influenced by other people. They see a skinny pretty lady or a strong man wearing something and they think that they unconsciously think that if they buy that product that they will look like that too. Thus when that person walks into the store they will see the outfit and without thinking they will buy because they unconsciously know about the other person wearing the outfit, even if the person is unaware of it.

Junior Theme Intro

2009-04-23T16:46:00.001-05:00

This is my rough draft of my Intro, please comment with suggestions of what you think I need to fix or what you think I did really well.

Americans on average spend one entire year of their life watching television commercials (Berger 57). That’s not including all the other forms of advertising like print ads in magazines, or newspapers, or radio ads. Throughout history Americans have become more and more materialistic and have become over consumers; the media does not help. From the Industrial Revolution and through World War II Americans have always been consumers and now with this bad economy you would think that it would change, but once a consumer always a consumer. There is a basic level of consumption out there that is not going to change (Underhill). We continue to consume at a greater rate each day (Potter). One purpose of the media is to manipulate the behavior of Americans and get them to use or buy the product being advertised. This is why the media is very influential in the way that Americans consume. The media manipulates Americans subliminally and blatantly which leads Americans into over consuming. Advertising tells Americans what they should want to have, and with almost no self control they consume. Americans are unable to escape the constant presence of the media.

Junior Theme

2009-04-21T09:44:00.002-05:00

I am on the right track. I have my introduction and my thesis, and I am interviewing my person tonight. I am almost done with my book. I feel good. I feel like I am on pace. We have the ACT and the PSAE tomorrow and Thurday, and we get out of school at like 1:00pm so I am going to go home and write my body paragraphs. I am feeling good about my junior theme.

Junior Theme

2009-04-17T09:56:00.004-05:00

I have my question which is Why does the media manipulate Americans into over consuming? I think that this is pretty much my final question. I have the person that I am interviewing, which is Dr. Brian Winsink. He is a professor at Cornell and is the author of Mindless Eating and he also teaches courses on Consumer behavior and has lots of other great achievements in his lifetime. I am excited to interview him. I am still working on my thesis and Intro paragraph. I am not quite sure what my answer to my question is, and I think that it is throwing me off that I know that it might change while writing this paper. If anyone has any ideas for how to go about writing my thesis please help.

Junior Theme

2009-04-12T09:18:00.007-05:00

I am having some trouble coming up with a thesis to my junior theme questions which is why are Americans consumers? I changed it from why are Americans consumer focused? I think that it makes more sense to talk about why Americans are consumers than why they are consumer focused. So far I have information about history and consumerism and I also have the idea that a big part of consumerism in advertisement. I can not think of an idea to put it into a thesis or have an introduction. I think that I want to state my question into the introduction as a rhetorical question. Any Ideas please feel free to comment.

Also I was wondering if anyone had an idea of a person that I could interview. I already emailed Paco Underhill who wrote the book Why We Buy. If anyone has any ideas of a person of type of person that I can interview. Please comment.

Junior Theme

2009-04-05T11:46:00.003-05:00

I think that I pretty much have the question for my junior theme. It is Why are Americans consumer focused? I think that it is a good question. I am going to look at the pre-1920s when Americans were not consumer focused and at the Industrial Revolution, and now with the economic crisis the rates of savings and consumer debt and how they have changed over time. I think that it is going to be an interesting topic. I think that learning about this topic might actually help me for the future to not be so consumer focused because I will learn about the debt that Americans get in and it will teach me the bad about consumerism. If anyone has any ideas of what else I should look into or anything that will help me on my junior theme, feel free to comment.

Psychology of Advertising

2009-04-02T16:46:00.007-05:00

This week in my American Studies class we got our prompt for what we have to do for our junior themes. I was thinking that I wanted to do something with America and how Americans are so materialistic. Then I thought that with in that topic I could look at consumerism in America, and the psychology of advertising. I began to think about the psychology of advertising and how when I watch TV and I see all these infomercials, I always wonder if anyone actually buys the product that is being sold on the TV. I never have even considered calling in to the people on TV to ask for the product, because I feel like they are going to scam you. People must call in other wise it would be a waste of time and money to be having these infomercials. I think that it is amazing that when an American sees an ad they feel as if they need that product, but if they had not seen the ad they would have never thought about buying the product before. Advertising is basically a scam to try and make people buy a product that most people do not actually need in life. Advertising is an interest of mine because it shows how that mind works, if a famous person has a product, then you need the product too, if the product has a catchy song to it then everyone knows the product. Like McDonald's, everyone knows that their slogan is "I'm Lovin' it" and most people know the phone number to Empire or Luna the carpet places. This is all because of their advertising and how they market their product. I am excited to start my junior theme on this topic so that I can have further discoveries about the psychology of advertising.

Religion

2009-03-14T09:46:00.005-05:00

The other day I was talking with my grandpa about religion. We started talking about how most wars are fought over religion. I thought about what if the world only had one religion, what would we have to fight about? I kept pondering the idea of a one religion world, or a no religion world. I wonder if it would make the world better or worse? What would happen to the human race? I think that in parts of the world it would be a lot more peaceful like in the Middle East. Without religion to fight over and a battle of who gets what land because you were raised to think that the other people are the bad guys. Like Israel and the Gaza Strip. What do you think would happen if the World only had one religion? Do you think it would be better if the world had no religion? I think that the World would be a lot more peaceful, but countries would still probably find something to fight about.

South wins Civil War

2009-03-10T13:33:00.005-05:00

In class today we were talking about the reconstruction after the Civil War and whether or not it was a failure or a success. This got me thinking about what today would be like if the south had won the Civil War, and how my life would have changed. I know that we live in the North and slaves were free in the North, but how would you feel if the United States were not unified? What if there were still slaves in the South? I think that my life would be completely different. I have many friends who are black and that would not be thinkable, and I also don't know if I would approve of what was happening in the South and how could you act if you think that half of your country is wrong, is it unpatriotic to think that what half of your country is doing is wrong. If the South won the Civil War would they have taken over the North? Since the North made the South abolish slavery, if the South won, would the make the North have slavery?
What are your thoughts?
How would our lives as we know it be changed if the South would have won the Civil War?

Propaganda of New Trier

2009-03-05T21:09:00.005-06:00

In American Studies today we talked a little bit about propaganda and persuasion, and we also talked about what New Trier wants to be portrayed like and the different signs and posters that are all around, I went to each class looking more critically and more alert of my surroundings. I always noticed the signs of all the languages in the P stairwell, but I never knew what they said, and I don't think that I have ever seen the one that is in English, I am sure that they have it somewhere, but I think that it is funny that New Trier puts up all the different language signs in the busiest stairwell, so that they can show all the people that come that New Trier is a diverse place with many different cultures and languages. I know that this was mentioned in class today, but I think that it is funny that on the announcements they only say if New Trier was first or second in State, and in the gyms there are only flags that have state champion wins and it is for basically every sport that New Trier offers. Most schools are excited if they get to regionals, but at New Trier it is basically win State or lose. I think that they only have all the State champions because they want to show other schools that we are better than they are and we will beat them. We also talked about the different copies of paintings that are many classrooms and I think that this is also funny, because who ever put them up are saying that we are intellectual and forcing other people to think that we are intellectual by putting up a few paintings. New Trier wants to be known and wants to be good at everything and it is an incentive to go to New Trier and be good at everything because you go there.
What do you notice when you walk through the halls? What propaganda does New Trier use?

First Ever

2009-03-01T17:32:00.003-06:00

This weekend I was on an airplane and the movie that they were showing was called Flash of Genius. The movie was about the guy who invented the timed wind shield wipers. It was a big deal because this guy tried to sell his wipers to car companies and no one would buy it. Then Ford decided to copy the model and make their own with out giving the guy any credit. So with when the man finds out that Ford stole his model he sues them for all that he has, and now to this day every wiper that is made on a car his family (since he is dead) gets paid a certain amount of money. I thought that it was funny that they made a movie of this guy’s story, and it had Hollywood stars in it also. In my American Studies class we were talking about how people talk about first ever, for example like Christopher Columbus and how people think he is the first ever to come to America. In American Studies we were also talking how a lady was suing McDonalds because she spilled her coffee and got burned and there was no caution on the cup that the coffee was hot. I thought that it was amazing that someone who was the “first ever” can get money and recognition by a movie and there are people who actually are the firsts that no one knows about. If you have any incite on “first evers” or know of a “first ever” that no one knows about, I would like to know and so would other people who read this blog.

And the Oscar goes to...

2009-02-22T10:26:00.006-06:00

The Academy Awards are on tonight and there are many different ways that it could go. Most years, they have a comedian be the host, like in previous years, they have had Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and Chris Rock. This year they are having Hugh Jackman be the host. Everyone loves Hugh Jackman but can he really host the Academy Awards? He is not a funny guy. Will he be able to live up to the great expectation and myth that the Academy Awards host has to live up to? I think that it will be an interesting night, to see how he tackles the Academy Awards, and if he does comedy or makes it a serious thing. Also the whole thing with Heath Ledger and whether or not he should get the award for best supporting actor or not. There are many different ways that you could reason. Obviously he is going to win, no doubt. But if he were still alive would he even be nominated? How would you feel if you were one of the other people in the category of best supporting actor, if you won you would feel bad, and if you lose, you are losing to a dead guy. Also who will accept the award for Heath. I know that when his daughter turns 18 she gets to have the award if he wins (he will), but until then because she is like 4 or something now, who gets it? What will happen to it? Also it is amazing that a movie like Slumdog Millionaire, which probably cost very little to make will win for best motion picture. I thought that it was a good movie, but it is so cool, that a director who is no one, and it starred people who are no bodies can win for best motion picture. That is really cool.

What are other controversies of the Oscars? can you think of any.

Lincoln's B-Day

2009-02-14T08:57:00.004-06:00

This past Thursday was the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday. In my American Studies class we went and listened to teachers talk about Lincoln and about the different mythologies that people have about Abraham Lincoln. It was very interesting. I had no idea that Lincoln died on Good Friday. I think that it is amazing the coincidence of that. Lincoln was not very well liked or appreciated before he died, but afterwards he was honored and was considered a martyr. Before listening to the speakers, I had no idea that Lincoln was compared to Jesus and Moses, I think that it is amazing that a president can be compared to biblical characters. I don't know for sure, but I don't think that there are any other presidents that are compared to such big biblical characters like Moses and Jesus. I really did not know much about Lincoln before listening to the speakers and it was very interesting. I learned that he has two sons that died and their deaths was a public mourning for the Lincoln family. Every Thursday Lincoln would go into one of his sons room, because he had died on a Thursday. I never knew that Lincoln wanted his son to be buried in Springfield so Lincoln and his family were going to go on a train to Springfield with the casket, but then Lincoln was shot and him and his son were on the same car of the train on the way to Springfield both in their caskets. I think that it is amazing that he was with his son, which is what he wanted but not in the way that he wanted it to be.

There are many myths about Lincoln also. We are not told any of that when we learn about him in elementary school, we are taught about the shooting in the theater and how he was shot. After he was shot he lived for about another 8 hours, I never knew that. They moved him to a place across the street from the theater and there was only enough space in that room for like 10 people and in all the stories and pictures, they show hundreds of people by Lincoln in his death bed, I think that the myth of all these people being by Lincoln on his death bed is kind of a funny thing to believe in because when a person is dying why would other people want to be around him unless they were really close to him or his family.

I think that it is amazing that I never knew most of this stuff until we went and saw the teachers speak about the history of Lincoln. I kind of wish that there were no myths, and when you learn things you learn all the facts and that they are all true.

Mythology of Race

2009-02-10T21:27:00.002-06:00

Today in American Studies class we were talking about different races and what defines race. I thought that this topic was very interesting and before discussing this I thought that I knew what race was, but after our discussion in class I was really confused and had to rethink everything that I thought before. Mr. Bolos said that growing up he was told their were five races: white, black, brown, yellow, and red. When I heard this I was beside myself, I had never thought that there could only be five races in the world, before our discussion I thought that there were many races and that there was no way that someone could name them. I did not think that colors could describe a race. I think that race is more than just the color of someones skin, it is where they are from, where they were raised, and their physical features. Using Mr. Bolos as an example again, he is Greek American, he told us that he was born in America but raised Greek, so I would say that his race is Greek, he did not think as himself as American growing up, so his race is not American. I think that ethinicity plays a part into race and how we chose what races we have in the world. Is a race the way you look, or the way you potray yourself? I think that it depends on the person. What would you say Obamas race is? He is dark skinned, his dad is black and his mom is white, raised by his grandmother, born in Hawaii, and raised in Illinois.
What is your opinion on race?
How many races do you think we have in the world? Can you name them all?
How do you define race?

Myths of Sports

2009-01-31T10:01:00.003-06:00

Is there such thing as a myth of sports? Think about it. Think about what is happening this Sunday. In case you don't know, it is Superbowl Sunday, one of the most watched sporting events of the year. It is ridiculous what people buy in to. This myth that the Superbowl is so exciting and that everyone needs to watch it. There is a fight over the commercials and who gets to host it(TV channel). I think that this year fox is hosting it and they have to pay a lot of money to be able to have the Superbowl on their channel. I think that people just buy into the myth that this game will determine the rest of their life and nothing else can happen on this Sunday except the game. I know that in my family we have a huge party that my parents have been throwing for 25 years and that the hundred people or so that come all buy into the myth also. I probably buy into the myth as well. What about the myth of athletes, they get paid millions of dollars for entertaining. Doing what they are good at. Why don't doctors or teachers get paid that much? Why do people support the myth of athletes and go and support them at their sporting event? I don't think that people control the myths that they believe in, I think that they are just handed something and buy into it with no real thought. What do you think?

Obama's first week on the job

2009-01-25T18:02:00.005-06:00

In case you are just an oblivious person and has no idea what has been going on in the United States for the past few months, you should know that we now have a new president. Not only do we have a new president but it is a historic occasion, he is the closest thing that we have had to an African American president, he is half African American and half white. He is the closest thing that we have to a president that does not fit the norm. Every president that we have had has been white and mostly old and has had the same type of look, but I don't think that you can say that with our newest president Barack Obama. On Tuesday it will have been his first week as the president of the United States of America. I wonder how it feels, how can a man go from living in Chicago and being in politics for only a few years to running our country and change the perspective of the U.S. It is a huge change that I am happy that will happen in my lifetime. A few years ago when Hilary Clinton was rumored to run for president people thought that it was a joke. I remember my family at the dinning room table and my uncles and dad laughing about it. At that time no one even knew who Obama was let alone that he was going to become our next president.
Not only is he changing American, but he is changing his life and his children's lives forever. The younger daughter is really young like 6 or 7 and if Obama only id president for one term she will only be 10 or 11 when he is done. She might not even remember some of what happened, but there will be people watching her for the rest of her life. It is strange to think that normal children who just went to a normal school, suddenly get to live in the White House, I wish that I was their friend. I heard that they had a sleep over with all of their friends from Chicago in the White House and they did a scavenger hunt through out the house and their were like their favorite celebrities and stuff their (how cool). How awesome would it be to do what ever you like and meet who ever you want to. It seems that they were just thrown into the situation not saying that it is a bad situation to be thrown into, but I doubt that they had a say in whether or not their dad was to run for president or whether they wanted to move to Washington D.C. they did not have a choice and what if they did not want to, no one thinks about the kids. They will probably rarely ever see their dad and all they get for that is a puppy. I think that it would suck if I got a puppy instead of seeing my dad even if he was the president. One week so far at the white house I wonder how they feel.
I wonder what the big first change Obama will make. Taxes, Economic crisis, war on terror... there are so many issues that he has discussed, and so many things that he has promised and I know that they will not happen right away, but what will the first major thing Obama will do as president.
I guess we will see and find out what is in store for the U.S. with Obama as our new president.

Identity- What does it mean to you?

2009-01-07T21:02:00.002-06:00

In my American Studies class, we started a new theme, Mythology and Identity. When the word identity was mentioned, it got me thinking. What does identity mean to me and my life? I have no idea what I want to do when I am older, where I will attend college, what my job will be, if I will have a family, or where I am going to live. The word identity is an interesting word to me, does it physically mean what we do and who we make our selves to be, or is it what we were made into. Can your identity change over time, or once you are something are you that forever? Is your Identity something that you can protect?

In my American Studies class we had to relate TV Tokenism to mythology and identity, by doing so I learned that your identity is something that might not only belong to you, but can be stereotyped into a group of people. Like in TV Tokenism where African Americans were portrayed negatively and their mythology had not really changed, people thought that their identity was the same as it has been for years.

Your identity can be determined in many ways, but how do other people determine it? Can the mythology of your past determine your identity?

Racism or Not?

2009-01-06T17:23:00.006-06:00

During the past two days in my American Studies class we have been talking about African Americans and how they are portrayed in television shows specifically in drama TV. Is it better to have no African American people in a TV show, or have one and not give them any role or screen time and be demeaning to them? Before we looked at these shows in class I thought that TV was better and that African American people had big roles and were actually wanted in TV. Now I think that they are only there so that the television companies can be politically correct and say that they are representing a minority. 24 is one of my favorite TV shows, and before today I thought that the African American president in the show was one of the main characters in the first few seasons, but after watching a clip from that pilot episode and seeing that the screen time of the African American president is only like 2 minutes in the whole one hour episode.

How many drama television shows are like this, where the African American people are stereotyped, or portrayed negatively? Will American get better, will television make dramas where African Americans are good and main characters where all eyes are on them? What can we as viewers do to help? Where are the lines of racism drawn?

Hanukkah vs. Christmas

2008-12-21T10:25:00.006-06:00

There are many differences between Hanukkah and Christmas, but which one is better. I am partial to this argument. I am Jewish, so I celebrate Hanukkah, but Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. Every year we go to our friends house and pick out a tree and decorate it, and on Christmas eve, we go to peoples house for a Christmas eve dinner. There are many pros and cons to both holidays. Hanukkah, you get presents for 8 days, and Christmas you only get presents for one day. On Christmas you have to go to church (pro or con depending on the person), and on Hanukkah you have to light a candle each night and say one prayer. I have been debating with people which holiday is better, and I have come to the conclusion that you can't really decide, unless you celebrate both. For example I am Jewish, but I wish that I could celebrate Christmas, but I have some Christian friends, who wished that they celebrated Hanukkah. You decide which one is better, and which one you wish you could celebrate.

What would your parents say?

2008-12-18T15:14:00.004-06:00

This week during American Studies, we have been talking about mythology and identity, and what we were raised to be and what is expected of us, and does it matter where you come from. I thought about this question a lot. Someone in the class said that money is everything and that is what our parents have been teaching us, and that we have to have a lot of money in our future. I do not think that this is correct. I think that one of the biggest things that is important to your parents is that their children do what makes them happy. I am at the stage of starting to think about college, and it is a big decision, and I thought of what it would be like if I decided not going to college, and what my parents would say. I told my dad that I don't want to go to college and he said that's fine, as long as you do something that you can be successful in. I think that being successful is one of the big ideas of what we are meant to do. You can be successful in many ways, you could be poor and be successful, and have a lot of money and be successful. I do not think that all of our parents are saying is that you have to go to college, then grad school, and then get a job and work your way up to CEO. I think that we all chose our own destiny, and that our parents can not brain wash us with all that is important is to have lots of money. What do you think, and what do you think your parents would say?

Did Blagojevich really think he would get away with this?

2008-12-14T17:12:00.004-06:00

If you don't know yet, which I don't how you would not know yet, but Governor Blagojevich got arrested earlier this week, for bribing people to become senator. I don't know how, but he thought that he would not be caught and would get away with this. He has decided not to resign, and I am not sure what his next action will be. He said when he was running for Governor that he would not be like Illinois previous Governor Ryan who also got arrested, and here we are years later and going against his word and getting arrested. It is such a big deal that even SNL (Saturday Night Live) feels like they have to make fun of him. There is an article at Chicagotribune.com about Saturday Night Live bashing Blagojevich. If he thought that he could get away with this in this age where Bush has the government tapping phone lines. The Governor was wrong, and not being smart, and should go to jail. Why in the first place would he think that this was a good idea at all?

Black Friday!

2008-11-30T22:24:00.005-06:00

It is hard to believe that there is actually a day called Black Friday. I had no idea what it meant, I knew that it had something to do with the Friday after Thanksgiving where everyone wakes up early and goes shopping. Do you actually know why it is called Black Friday? The meaning of Black Friday is that the retailers are turning a profit. I think that it is amazing that even with this economy and how bad it is there were still lines out the door and stores were still having such big discounts and sales. I went to Old Orchard at 7:30am and it was really crowded already. There were great deals and everyone there had at least two big bags walking around. I think that it is cool that even though the economy is down, people still have traditions of going shopping for their Christmas presents on that day and will follow through with their tradition no matter what. I was looking at the Newspaper and all the articles were talking about how much stores made during Black Friday, and the articles all made it sound like they were surprised. I know people who woke up at 4am because that's what they do every year, and wait in line for the stores to open. Even the bad economy and things going on people still need Christmas presents and still want to do what they have done all along. One thing that some one did a long time ago, has turned into an unofficial holiday that people have traditions for. Do you think that anything even such a bad economy can stop people from living out traditions?

Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T22:24:00.003-06:00

It is funny to see what different people do on Thanksgiving day. There are the classic traditions that most people do which is the typical Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and pumpkin pie. But what about on the day and the day after. I know that in my family we play football during the day, that has been a tradition in my family since my older brother was little. I can't even imagine a Thanksgiving without football. There are so many different traditions that people do on different holidays and I personally think that it is really cool to see what different people do. Some people put up their Christmas lights and others wake up at 4 am Friday morning and go to all the sales. What are some of the traditions that your family has? What does tradition mean to you?

Our most hated President

2008-11-12T21:12:00.003-06:00

Most people do not like our current president George W. Bush. He has the worst approval rating of any president that we have had in the history of our country. Bush's approval rating is less than 27%. We all know that when George W. Bush was first running for president against Gore, he lost the popular vote and barely won the electoral vote. If I was Bush and barely won the election the first time running, why would he think that he would win again and how did he win again, and how could he think that people would like him. If I were president and I was George W. Bush right now I would hate myself for not being the best that I could be and that I let my country down. If I were Bush right now I would be happy that my term was over and someone else was going to take over and fix my mistakes. At the same time I feel bad for Obama because now he has to go and fix all the mistakes that Bush made. I wonder what I would be thinking if I were George W. Bush and my job was over and people hated me.

What does the President do unitl January?

2008-11-05T11:47:00.002-06:00

As many people know, Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States of America last night. I have always wondered what happens, between the time that the President is elected, and the inauguration. The Presidents inauguration ball is in January and the election is in November. It doesn't make sense to me. Especially now because of all the technology, they know that night who will be our next president. Years ago when there were no computers, I could understand why they would wait so long, because it took longer to see who was going to be the next president. I am sure that in the months of transition there is a lot of things that are going on and that both the soon to be President, and the soon to be Ex-President, are both working very hard together and apart to make sure that our country is safe. I know that there are meetings between the old President and the new President, but why wait so long to actually move into the white house?
If I was just elected president like Obama, I would not know how to feel. A President elect, has so much power and influence without technically being our president yet. What if you were just elected President and you had to wait to actually go to the white house and move in. How would you feel in those months in between. What do you do to prepare?

Who's More American?

2008-10-21T18:03:00.003-05:00

What determines how American a person is, How do you decide? There are many different things that a person can do to show their patriotism. Multiple time this year we have talked and discussed this question in my American Studies class, and I am still without an answer. During my lifetime there are things that I could do to be more American, but I don't feel the need to have to say out loud my patriotism. I think that I am a patriotic person who supports America. I do not stand for the pledge. I sometimes will say the pledge in my seat, but that's all. I do not where an American flag. I do not have any obvious ways of being patriotic or American. I don't know if you noticed, but during Barack Obama and John McCain's campaigns and debates, they would sometimes where an American flag pin and sometimes not. I noticed that one time I was watching John McCain speak and he was not wearing a pin, but he was wearing a red, white, and blue tie. I thought that this was interesting. What if a person is in the Army or some kind of unit protecting our country, does this mean that they are more patriotic than me. What about people with an American flag on their house, I personally have one, because my Dad leaves it up all year, but does that make me more patriotic. Ever since this topic was brought up in class, I have been trying to find an answer. What exactly makes a person more patriotic and American than another person?

Weather is Crazy!

2008-10-13T11:20:00.003-05:00

For the past four years my dad has ran the Chicago Marathon in October. Throughout those years the weather has always been drastic in both hot and cold. The first year that we went to go and watch him it was almost perfect, like 60s which is good for running and good for spectating. The next year that he ran, it was 40 degrees and pouring rain which was like sleet, and the rain was cold. I was wearing my winter coat and gloves, it was so cold. Last year when he ran it was 88 degrees which is so hot that after a certain point they had to close the marathon because it was too dangerous to run in. I was sweating and I wasn't even running, I can't imagine running 26.2 miles in that heat. Yesterday when he ran and we went downtown to watch him, it was about 78 degrees, which is hot for the runners, but not as hot for the spectators. You would think that in October the weather would be pretty consistent with fall weather. That may be true, but then the marathon is cursed. It is weird how the weather could change so much, for being the same Sunday in October every year.

POLITICS!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH

2008-10-05T09:25:00.006-05:00

I am sick of politics. I think that they are really interesting and that it is an especially cool election this year, but I am so sick of everything politics. There are those people who no matter what they talk about politics is involved. I know that my Dad is very affectionate about politics. It is all he talks about especially with the election coming up. He is so biased and it isn't fair, because no one can say anything about politics especially the other party without him getting really offensive. I will be watching TV and he will come in and see that they are not being fair to both parties and he gets so mad and says that I can't watch that show anymore. I hate it. People are so opinionated which is a good thing but they are overly offensive about their opinions. While I was watching the vice presidential debate, Icouldn't make up my own opinions, because my Dad has brainwashed me to think what he thinks. He keeps saying that he wants me to make my own opinions on which candidate that I like, but if I chose his opponent then I would be wrong and he would tell me all the bad stuff about that candidate. Secretly he wants me to just chose the opponent that he likes. I am just sick of everything involving politics, I understand that politics are important, but why do people have to get so offensive. I like freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean that you have to be so biased that you cant even listen to the other side.

Pirates in Africa

2008-09-28T08:18:00.003-05:00

Somali Pirates are asking for ransom of 35 million dollars to release a Ukrainian vessel and its crew. Who knew that pirates were still out there. When I heard about pirates being off the coast of Somalia I was really surprised I thought that there were no more pirates in the world. The pirates were discovered by a US naval ship called the USS Howard. In the article on BBC News it states that Pirate "mother ships" travel far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack passing vessels, sometimes using rocket-propelled grenades. I thought that it was cool that there were pirates still in the world, but apparently I am the only one to think that. If I were to see a pirate ship now I don't think that I would be afraid I think that I would want to see if it is like the ones in all the movies.

what would the world be with out computers

2008-09-25T09:52:00.005-05:00

In my opinion computers are good, but have many flaws. They are good, because it is a way to research and find information in an easy way. They are good to write essays and stories. They make school a lot more easier. Some flaws are the internet doesn't always work. In resent times (today in class), I tried to upload some pictures to a website called voice thread and it didn't work. I was very upset. It turns out that i inserted the pictures wrong into the power point. Stupid computers. It shouldn't matter the size of the file it should just know what you want and should upload. I think that people are expecting too much of computers these days. Personally i think that our world relies too much on technology and computers. My sister who is in fourth grade has a whole class on just how to use a computer. When i was in fourth grade barely anyone had a computer. She already has an Email set up and Emails her friends. I think that there is no point to have your whole life based off of a computer. I feel like everytime i go on to a computer something always goes wrong.

NL Central Division Champs!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-21T08:51:00.006-05:00

The Cubs clinch their division yesterday. While sitting at the game in anticipation i did not know what to expect. I knew that if they won then they would be the champs. The crowd was wild. It was ridiculous. I had never seen anything like it in my life. In a sense i think that i am good luck. The last game that i went to was the no hitter pitched by Zambrano and now this wow. Kerry wood was the closer and he is not that good, so we were all worried that he was going to blow it for the Cubs. It was a really intense game. At the end no one left. We left about an hour and a half after the game ended and we were one of the first people to leave. It was crazy. All the excitement. The players came back on to the field with their NL Division Champion t0shirts and hats. They had champagne and were spraying each other and the fans. It was so exciting to be there live and watch it happen. It was exciting no matter what but to be there and witness it first hand was awesome. I will remember thus day for the rest of my life.
Below is a video of pictures from the game!!!
GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank You Ike

2008-09-15T20:39:00.004-05:00

As you know there is a hurricane named Ike in the Houston area. I feel bad for the people who are having to deal with the problems of the hurricane. I am also very happy. Because of hurricane Ike the Houston Astros who were supposed to play the cubs in Houston, had to play their game at a neutral field. The MLB association decided that Milwaukee Brewers stadium Miller Park, would be a good place to play, since there is a dome and you could play in the rain. When they announced the game in the Tribune that the Cubs would be playing in Milwaukee, almost jokingly i asked my dad to buy tickets. Then I decided that i really wanted to go. We bought really good seats, the whole game was amazing. Zambrano had a no hitter and the Cubs won 5-0. It was so cool. To be able to watch a no hitter live. The experience was unbelievable. With one day notice there were 23,000 fans and 23,000 Cubs fans. I don't think that i saw one Astros fan, which is sad because it is supposed to be their home game and they are supposed to have all the fans. So with that i thank hurricane Ike for being in Houston and letting me see Zambrano pitch his first no hitter and the first no hitter for the Cubs in 36 years. GO CUBS!!!

Remember 9/11

2008-09-11T17:37:00.006-05:00

The morning of September 11th, 2001, I woke up and I remember my Mom getting a phone call before my brothers and I left for school, the person on the phone said turn on the TV. My Mom did without knowing what she was going to experience. We all were sitting on our couch watching the TV and we all thought that they were replaying what had happened. Then we found out that it was live feed and we watched as the second twin tower was hit by an airplane. It was very emotional. My family had been in New York 3 weeks before the 11th. I remember standing in front of the World Trade Center buildings getting my picture taken. It was spooky watching the TV and know that they were gone. It reminds me of my trip to Israel a few years later. I was traveling around with my family, and one day we were in this small village by the border and the next day we heard on the radio that the village we were just in was bombed and gone. I was in shock how this could happen and it reminded me of when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked by the planes. I don't think that at the time I really understood that it was a terrorist attack, but I knew that it was bad and that it couldn't have been an accident. The date of September 11th is more significant to me than just the attacks on our Country, on September 11th, 2004 was my Bat Miztvah. It was a big deal, especially because we had the date before the event of the twin towers and we kept the date to signify the remembrance. During the service we had a moment of silence to remember those who had died. It made the ceremony more meaningful than it already was. I think that to everyone in the United States of America, September 11th means something to everyone. Everyone might view it differently or that date might have more meaning or less meaning to people, but I think that Septmeber 11th is a meaningful date that will be remembered.

What does it take to win 8 gold medals?

2008-09-07T18:26:00.011-05:00

As most people know Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for most golds in an Olympic games. Before he won those medals, people thought that it was inconceivable. How could one person swim that much and that fast in a period of a week. Some of his heats would only be 40 minutes apart. That is ridiculous, it is unheard of. Michael Phelps had the help of his ridiculous diet containing 10,000 calories daily. An average person is only supposed to have 2,000 calories in one day. For breakfast, he eats three fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; five-egg omelet; three sugar-coated slices of french toast; bowl of grits; two cups of coffee. For lunch Phelps eats half-kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks, and for dinner he has half-kilogram of pasta, with carbona sauce; large pizza; energy drinks. (Diet courtesy of BBC News). With all that food, it explains many reasons why he has so much energy. Everyday, he spends at least five hours just burning off most of those calories. Between training and swimming, he needs that many calories, so he can burn them all off. Michael Phelps is an extraordinary man, not only does he win medals, but he does something with the fame gained. He helps children exercise and does what he can to promote a healthy life. Nobody else could do what Phelps did, and no one would be able to handle the consumption of that many calories in one day everyday. That's what it takes to get that much energy to be crazy like Michael Phelps.