Lauren

Week ONE Response- On Brother Ali:The intersection of Homophobia and Hip Hop: Where Tyler Met Frank Feb.7th.2014

After reading this article and pondering the question, which I'm pretty sure i understand, i do think that it is important to be critical of what we say and hear. People often forget the power of words. We throw out all sorts of words in all sorts of ways without thinking of those around us. People will say, 'man that's gay,' in response to something they think is weird, wrong, or bad. Not only are they using the term wrong, it's seriously insulting! Somehow words like these used in such ways can just roll off of our tongues with ease. Although, most of this has to do with trends. I'm sure many know that what they are saying hurts some but they are just so convinced that following certain trends will make them seem cool that they reject whats right.

Week TWO Response-Gendered politics.

Reading the first article, strangely, came as a shock to me. I guess i could say it woke me up. I often see superhero and comic book print clothing for both men and women around the mall (especially in places like Forever 21, bleh.) So i don't ever think much of it. Oddly enough stores for teens and up have clothing that has the same graphic on a mens shirt as a women's just in different sizes and fittings. I do notice the difference in item types for each gender but i never thought much of it. I remember walking into Justice just the other day and finding that they added a boys section that was full of hilarious internet memes and superhero items. I complained to my sister about the guys always getting the good stuff but it didn't seem to bother the little girls shopping there. While i believe that the shirt was a sexist thing to make, I don't think it bothers kids that much. I grew up wearing what little girls wear today but i still ended up loving superhero flicks and video games. Besides, if this kind of gender stuff only happens in younger stores with ages who can't even watch most of the superhero movies, why worry? If it is in older aged stores i'm pretty sure they can tell what offends them and what doesn't. The second article I actually can't blame completely on the clothes. The article continues to argue about the parents not being at fault for what their children are choosing to wear. First off, how are your eight year olds buying their own outfits? I'm just saying that someone had to be there with them, obviously older with a job to pay for them, and just let them buy them. Allowing kids to try their best and be able to be like the people around them is wrong. We shouldn't be afraid to tell them why they shouldn't dress like this or pick out such bras. We need to teach them about originality and not being afraid to be themselves because really, there is nothing to be afraid of. It's not as hard as people think to be 'accepted' or 'be in the group.' All you need is a little confidence, not what the others are wearing. So honestly, i do believe it has to do with the parents. Sure the world may be changing but its not for the better and letting it go on is sick.

We learn so much about society from a lot of things, but clothing is a big one. Clothing options are always changing. It's almost like how technology changes so much; there's always something new. Today society goes so fast. So fast that we need to record every moment with our smartphones because we're afraid we'll fly right by the moment and forget. So fast that the young feel the need to start acting older then they are at the age of eight and wearing what their mothers wear or doing what their upperclassmen do. We are dizzy from the fast spin we are constantly in; sick from the pressure to fit into the puzzle that we all believe exists. We feel like we are trapped and we have to keep going so fast, to just run along with the terrified citizens as a tidal wave of death chases after you even if you are all running to a dead end. Why is it so hard for us to just slow down or break away from the group and run to our own escape? I think by how fast society changes it's clothing tastes is just another prime example of how fast we are really going, and how we are all afraid of missing out on something because we ran out of time.

February 28th Epic Role Models

To me, heroes today are the people we don't recognize often in the media. Firefighters and surgeons save people everyday, but they don't get stalked by the media. So my opinions of heroes today don't match up with society's. I think people consider their heroes to be people edited onto the covers of magazines and people E!News holds an entire on feature about their day. I couldn't exactly tell you why, but if they consider those people 'heroes' then i can name you societies taste for character traits. I think people see those who are brave enough to strip down and shake it for the crowd or drink and party all day and night as heroes. Isn't that same thing shamed upon when it comes to people who aren't in the spotlight, like strippers or alcoholics? We all look down upon those kind of people but when it comes to someone who is famous and big its suddenly acceptable for them and hey, why not copy them? After all, that is what you do with a role model or hero, right? So to Miley Cyrus i ask, what is so great about using your body parts to make it in the music industry? Apparently all of your fans say their in it for the music so why still shake it to make it? You do realize that your younger fans are trying to be like you? Ever since you became big and went crazy kids in my school have been OBSESSED with weed and will defend it to the grave; even if they know that weed is a gateway drug to ones that give even bigger highs, along with bigger death rates. Ask any major druggy now and they'd tell you they started with weed. If you're going to be a stripper at least leave the drugs out of it because i for one don't want to watch society grow up to be trembling crack heads.

March 17th Free write Sunshine. From where you are, its beautiful, bright, and provides you with life. You don't think much of the Sunshine, you just know it keeps you going and sometimes makes you happy. You'd think the sun would be just how it shines, happy and cheerful. Well sure, from your point of view. I mean have you really ever looked at the sun? No, you haven't because you can't. You can't look at the sun. You can only see what it gives you. No one ever really sees what the sun really is, how it really feels. No, you don't care anyway. You just know that its making your life great. it's really just an unstable star. It's a flaming ball of emotions. It is always raging and screaming. The sun just wants someone to be there like its there for you, to make it happy like it makes you. But you can't see that. All you see is what it gives you because the sun doesn't want you to see what it really is. It doesn't want you to worry. It never stops working and it just keeps its true state to itself, trying to contain those fiery emotions. Everyone knows you can't just keep those emotions bottled up because one day....you'll explode. If the sun explodes, we'll all die. Sometimes when the sun is having a hard time and we get droughts or its too hot we all hate the sun. It doesn't seem happy for one second and its the bad guy. Why can't you just give it a break? It's trying, it really is. They call me sunshine.

May 12th Class Campaign Reflections

Hey random student! For this project you’re just gonna get yourself a random mayoral candidate and set him up a campaign! You’ll do all sorts of things like covering up his scandals, getting a catchy slogan, the whole nine yards! You’ll even get to do posters and adverts! Just follow the sheets directions and you’ll do fine. My group used name calling as propaganda, mostly, as we were using some of the other candidates scandals to make us look good. We also had a ringy 'vote right, vote rex!' slogan. The most challenging thing about this project was figuring out what to do with what and how to do it. Things weren't very clear and even if i did figure out what to do i didn't know where to put what information. Thats about it though...I feel that I could have done more on my candidates scandal cover up. I should have done more research on the whole weed thing but i didn't think about it at the time. I sure was when i was on the spot though. I probably would have decided in the group who would be the representative and practice answering questions we might have gotten on the stand. I think if you include that in the directions next time, along with a bit more step instruction, and maybe and organized packet, this project will go a lot smoother for a lot more people. I will probably use some of these newly learned techniques when i run for student council at my new school and to also help get the word out about the anime club, that i was going to start here, at my new school also. I really want to put my all into it and be able to do all i can and have fun while enjoying the moment. I can use funny propaganda and slogans to get students votes and also use posters and newsletters to get the word out about anime club. I'm sure this kinda stuff will come up in World History or politics or something. I suppose when i have to do some kind of campaign assignment or to dissect meanings of propaganda and all. I've done that in world hist. already. In the future this will probably come in handy when i'm trying to get someone to hire me. Some slight, well hidden, propaganda could work in an interview i'm sure. Or if i ever became a local business owner i can use these techniques to be successful!

...And I assume we don't have to respond to the poem on here?