BLOG #10

From the beginning I almost considered dropping this class because of all the books we were going to have to read.  I'm SO happy I decided to stay.  This class made me have a different outlook on a lot of things.  The first thing we did that really caught my attention and made me really interested in the class was when we were assigned to read Culture Jam.  I never thought about how much humans are so dependent on technology that it basically takes away what nature and other things around us have to offer.  When we learned about the term plentitude, it really made me realize that in some way or another humans are never satisfied with what they have.  I know I've been guilty of this as well without realizing it until this class.  I have an older ipod and I kept looking around for a newer one so it could hold more of my songs.  We are all selfish and unsatisfied in some way or another.

When we watched the video, Second Skin, it actually made me mad to see that that is how people live their lives everyday.  There is so much in this world to see and it makes me mad that they sit on a chair in front of a computer everyday playing a video game.  The other topic that made me mad throughout the class was that video on The Most Hated Family in America.  That family talking about how if you're gay or lesbian you shouldn't be alive.  I have an aunt that is a lesbian and she's one of the most caring and helpful people I know.  It just blows my mind that there is a whole family out there saying what they're saying when they don't even know these gay and lesbian people.

I'll admit I didn't read Fahrenheit, I read the cliff notes for it instead and even doing that I got a good understanding of the book and the discussions in class helpped a lot too.  The burning of books or the need to remove a certain book from a school blows my mind also.  I have never realized or took the time to see that this was going on.  I've read books that have said swear words, talked about sex, talked about violence and so many other things.  I don't understand why we need to burn books when these are things that no one can really avoid.  So burning a book won't stop someone from hearing or seeing curse words somewhere else.

This class was the first class I believe I have ever had that made me critically think so much and make so many connections to things outside the classroom.  I really liked that.  I find myself sometimes explaining things to my parents about what I learned in this class and if I see something that I can connect to a book we read in the class I like to tell someone.  There was a lot of work in the class but it really helpped me personally have a different outlook on a lot of things that I'm going to remember.

BLOG #8

First off, I love this book and it is my favorite so far.  It keeps me entertained.  Funny how it does that right?  When the book is about a game where two people try to kill each other to be the one on top.  This is what entertains humans today, violence, competition and drama.  We like to watch things like this and say, "Glad that's not me out there."  It scares me a little bit thinking that one day a game like this will air on the TV for entertainment and people will watch it because it is not them out there fighting for their lives.  It may sound bad, but the movies and TV shows I like to watch are ones that have a lot of drama, violence, and action.  I love action movies with guys fighting one another and all that.  I just couldn't tell you why I enjoy movies like that and why that is the case for a lot of other people as well.  The SAW movies, I find it so interesting how the characters die in those movies because it is so creative but at the same time it scares me that those thoughts are in someone's mind.  I feel like society is going to keep wanting more and more of these movies and TV shows because it is what entertains us and that is why these shows get so much money, because we continue to watch them and I do not think we are going to stop anytime soon.

BLOG #6

I started to view Big Brother as a spy or a camera.  He is very secret about everything and watches everything you do.  There is no privacy.  Some of my group members said about this Big Brother as another kind of Hitler.  While reading, that didn't even come to my mind but now that the idea is out there it very much makes sense! Both very controlling, wanting to be on top, and both willing to do whatever it takes to make others obey them and do what they believe and want.  This book started to make me mad a little bit because this Big Brother can tell these people anything they want and they have to believe it and obey by it.  The fact that it is alright to change history just blows my mind.  It makes me think that it is possible for something like this to happen in the very far future because honestly anything can happen.  I've started to learn that.

I think the Big Brother in today's society could be our government.  I know they don't have cameras every where we are but they have other ways of using technology to see a lot more about every individual and I think that's something we don't really realize.  We all do have some sort of privacy, we're not being watched like people are in the book, but when it comes to facebook it is easy for anyone to get information on a stranger.  This is a facebook users responsibility to makes sure everything on your profile is set to private, you can even go as far as making yourself unsearchable!  If nothing is private though then that gives anyone the right to look and observe your information and to do what they want with it.  In this sense we do not have a lot of privacy and it is kind of scary that it is that easy to find information about someone.

Dumbest Generation

I found a quote I really liked after reading one of the articles. Mark Bauerlein said that, "the intellectual future of the United States looks dim." I wrote down this quote and discussed it with my group. I both agreed and diagreed with this. I agreed because as the years go on technology gets better and better and I believe that is making us lazy. I had to print the one article off the computer because I knew if I tried to read it on the computer screen I would want to easily wonder onto facebook or stumble upon. It's so easy to get side tracked from school work now-a-days when there is much cooler things to do through technology. I then disagreed with this quote because I also believe that technology has helped teachers teach different material for those students who are visual learners.

When we watched that video in class I agreed with some of the things they talked about, like yes we do love our social networking. We discussed this in our group, he can't generalize it all, though. There are some people that don't have time to catch up with their friends through their phone or through facebook everyday. I personally don't have a whole lot of time because I play a school sport. I have class and practice everyday and when I have a home or an away game I have no time for anything. When I get back from school and practice all I want to do is take a nap. After my nap I need the rest of the night to catch up on school work and eat. That's what made me mad about that video. I'm not always trying to socialize with my friends every second I get. I still get on facebook when I can but I don't let it effect what I do during the day because I'm too busy for the most part.

I don't consider us the dumbest generation. Every generation is so different to be able to say we're the dumbest. As the years go on, we get so much smarter with technology and that's something other generations can't say their the smartest in. I do believe that we are starting to forget what it is like to be acedemically smart, though. I'm not saying this goes for everyone, I don't want to generalize but I believe it is starting to take a big notice.

Blog #3

Sorry this is late guys, I kinda forgot about this.  Too much soccer this weekend! Anywayyyyyy, the movie we watched in class actually made me really mad.  I thought how could someone waste so much of their life sitting in front of a computer playing a game.  There is so much in this world to do and experience.  Take advantage of it!  Experiencing what the world has to offer helps make you become a better person and make you who you are today.  A video game will never be able to do that.  That's what really made me mad in the first place.  I try to understand where the people in the movie are coming from but it is really hard.  Some of these people say they don't have an addiction but when it starts to interfer with your family and friends it becomes one.  People start to lose a lot when they become addicted to something like this.  There is no time for a job, no family time, and no interaction between you and what is outside the house.

I also don't believe this is anyway to meet the person you're going to be with the rest of your life.  You may know each other but not until a certain point.  A certain point you can only reach face to face.  You need that interaction between two people to really know each other well.  You can't do that over a video game.  It amazes me how the men and women that do not game put up with their lover who games almost all day.  Personally I could not do that and I know a lot of other people agree.  The people in the movie may have found someone special but I feel like it's not the real thing because you haven't met face to face.  I know some people will disagree but that is my opinion.  It's lazy.  Get up out of the house and meet people besides the people you play the game with.

One point I really did like in this movie was at the very end and I know a lot of other students could agree.  When the one guy said about gaming is almost just like watching football all day Sunday.  It's so true, there are so many people that do not move all day football Sunday because they don't want to miss anything.  I wouldn't call it an addiction like gaming is though.  He just made a really good point to think about.

BLOG #2

This book interest me very much.  I have not read a book like this is a while where it had made me think this much and keep me so hooked!  I love it!  I've never really stepped back and took a look at how technology has changed the world, for the good and for the bad.  It's pretty upsetting that everything Kalle Lasn mentions is so true.  I don't remember the last time I looked up at the stars on a clear night, or the last time I didn't turn on the TV because it's a reflex, or the last time I didn't have my cell phone by my side 24/7.  As humans, I personally think all that is pathetic on our part.  If people before our time could live without cell phones, laptops, and ipods then we can too.  The beginning of Culture Jam really made me think about the times when I was little.  When I was younger I LOVED being outside. I played baseball in my backyard with my dad and sister, rode my bike everyday, looked for bird nests, and played in a sandbox my dad made.  As kids we use to have the time of life without technology!  It's ashame that it is almost forced upon humans to have some sort of technology. 

Another memory this book brought back to me was being at my cabin in the mountains with my family.  We had actual family time with no interruptions because there is no service for cell phones or laptops and there is no TV.  Just wilderness all around.  The last time I was there was probably 5 years ago and I miss it a lot.  I believe that it would be hard for a lot of families to tell you the last time they spent time together like that.  It use to be so typical for a family to sit around the dinner table with one another and share stories with each other and just have conversation without all the distractions.  Today, you add texting at the table and TVs in the dinning room/kitchen room area.  There is no family time anymore for a lot of people including myself, and it's upsetting!

My name is Rachel Hess and I am a sophmore here at Shippensburg. I just decided to major in psychology. I am from Lancaster PA, and went to Penn Manor High School.  I've played soccer all through high school and continued playing for the Ship team.  I have a sister that is a year younger than me and we are very close.  She just graduated high school and is going to the community college in Lancaster.  She tries to visit me at school as much as she can!  :)