American Studies Controls the World

So we all know by now that our American Studies class changes the world. During our perilous times unit, the stock market went into a rapid decline that later became know to the United States as an economic recession. May 20th marks another one of these so called coincidences. On May 20th, 2009 Iran launched a surface-to-surface missile that has a range of 1200 miles. This is huge news because that is within range of Israel. This is a "coincidence" because just a couple weeks ago, we held our war simmulation in which Iran announced that they would begin testing nuclear weaponry. In our simmulation, World War III broke out and Israel got wiped off the face of the planet. Hopefully the real life crisis will be handled differently.

According to a news article in the New York Times, Iran has been making significant progress in the three steps to obtaining nuclear weapons: "enriching uranium to weapons grade; developing a missile capable of reaching Israel and parts of Western Europe; and designing a warhead that will fit on the missile." This is not good news. The missile that was launched yesterday not only was within range of Israel, but also United States bases in the Persian Gulf. Hopefully World War III will be avoided or in other words, hopefully our class no longer controls the fate of the universe.

Pat Tillman: Hall of Fame?

The other day, I saw an interesting piece on Pardon the Interruption (PTI), a program on ESPN. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser debated whether Pat Tillman should be admitted into the NFL Hall of Fame. Although I could not find the segment online, I still wanted to open up a discussion on whether or not Pat Tillman should be admitted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Reasons For: I found an interesting article on nflfanhouse.com arguing that Tillman should be elected to the NFL Hall of Fame. The facts are that Tillman turned down a 3-year, $36 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve his country. Cris Collinsworth commented in an interview prior to the Arizona vs. Atlanta playoff game that Tillman was eligible this year for the Hall of Fame. He argues that: "This guy [Tillman] is the very essence of what we all hope the NFL and its players will ultimately be." It seems that inducting Tillman is the way to go and that the NFL should honor him for his bravery and decision to fight for what he felt was right.

Reasons Against: Quite frankly, Tillman did not put up the numbers or help his team win the Superbowl. He walked away from football to pursue other means, which is very honorable, but does not relate to the Hall of Fame. Tillman hurt his team by leaving, and if he is inducted into the Hall of Fame, could potentially take the spot of another football player that could be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

In conclusion, I think the right thing to do is induct Tillman. It is easy to argue that his bravery alone deserves to be honored. That is why I feel he should be inducted, but I'm curious how other people feel. Is inducting him a no-brainer?

Jerry and Peter at New Trier

Today in class, the conversation stuck with me. I wondered if there really were and if so who were the Jerry's and who were the Peter's in this world and more specifically of the North Shore and New Trier. It seems that there often is a dominant narrative (or in this case a dominant character) in our daily lives. It is easy to see Americans as the Peter's of the World, while other countries such as 3rd world countries are seen as the Jerry's. We often say: "Why can't they better themselves?" Yet it is not always up to them. It seems to me that on the North Shore, white, upper class citizens tend to make up the majority of the population, where as some parts of Chicago are seen as poor and black. These examples are rather obvious, yet I found New Trier a bit more intriguing.

Who is the typical student at New Trier? Looking back, I remember an exercise we did where we designed the average student, Taylor's life. Using the example Taylor, I believe that the average New Trier student is either white or of Asian ethnicity. According to Jonathan Kozol's The Shame of a Nation, 98% of New Trier students are either white or Asian. So what else makes up Taylor? Or in this case: The Peter's of New Trier. Well, I've observed that many kids are wealthy or have lots of material possessions. Most New Trier kids can be found with an Ipod or cell phone on them at any given time. I think that Taylor often would wear a T-shirt and Jeans because some kids (like those with purple hair and all black apparel are seen as the Jerry's or the zoos).

So why does this happen? What calls for this social hierarchy in each and every environment? I'd argue that it is human nature, but why? Why do people have to judge someone, like Peter judged Jerry, solely based on appearance and/or lifestyle and/or differences from "the norm"? And why do those like Peter sit back and say to themselves things like: "Why... why do you live there?" (Albee 22). It's not always a persons choice where or how they live, so why do they have to be scrutinized for it?

Final Four Good for Detroit

In these difficult economic times, it is great to see that Detroit will finally catch a break. Yesterday the Final Four began in Detroit; the finals will be [in Detroit] on Monday. As we all have learned in class, Detroit is a big city for the automobile industry and the home to Ford. In these economic times, people have been hesitant to buy new cars rather using their existing autos as long as possible. Such anecdotes have been discussed in newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune. Detroit has really been hit hard. Real estate is now dirt cheap there and the once thriving city is suffering exponentially from lack of revenue. Also unemployment rates have skyrocketed in Detroit.

This is why I have decided to dedicate this blog post to Detroit and the Final Four. Yesterday at the Final Four over 70,000 spectators traveled near and far to watch their favorite teams battle for a National Championship. This is great for Detroit. Hotels are filling up, as well as restaurants. People are shopping for apparel also, which is great. Another huge factor to this years Final Four is that Michigan State is still in the tournament. And although I dislike Michigan State [being a huge Michigan Fan] I am ecstatic that Detroit has a hometown team playing for glory. Michigan State, to the delight of Detroit business owners, has even made the finals. This means that more apparel will be bought and more fans will try to get last minute tickets because a hometown team will be playing for the NCAA championship. The NCAA tournament has provided a great amount of revenue for the city of Detroit, a city suffering immensely from this recession.

Funny Advertisement

After our discussion last week about advertisements in our society, I saw a commercial that cracked me up. I had seen the commercial for the first time in last year's superbowl, but had never really thought about its message. The commercial I am refering to of course is the one for Planters peanuts that stars an unatractive woman who uses Planters peanuts to become attractive. If you haven't seen this commercial, it is definately worth seeing on Youtube. The commercial preaches that even over-weight women with unibrows can pick up men if they use this product. The first time I saw this commercial, I remember that I couldn't stop laughing. The marketing department at Planters is either amazing or crazy.

I admit that after watching this commercial I definately did not want to eat peanuts. So what's the point? I believe that many companies use humor so that viewers will remember their product. Although I do not know if this commercial helped sell the product, I am certain it got people talking. After the Superbowl, I remember watching this commercial, among others, in business class because it used the marketing technique of "secret ingredient." After just seeing it again today, I laughed for a different reason: will this commercial help sell peanuts?? This proves another example of how advertisement is used in our country. And although I don't feel like eating peanuts after watching it, I am very intrigued by the goals of many modern day commercials.

What Went Into Making My Watch?

Wow! When I bought my watch last summer for $7.oo at Walmart, I thought: What a steal! I never considered what had to happen in order for me to obtain the watch, how much work went into assembling it and obtaining the parts. For homework last weekend, we had to find out information about the thing that we said in class that we always have with us. Obviously I said my watch, and I was so shocked to find out what Walmart actually does that I felt the need to blog about it. I was aware that walmart had sweatshops and that they didn't pay their employees very well, but I was shocked to find out how bad it is.

I found an article on UFCW's website, which is a website promoting unionization that was quite shocking. Some walmart employees in foreign nations such as Bangladesh make as little as 9 cents an hour! Many of the issues that we saw in the video about the Triangle Factory are still apparent in Walmarts accross the world. In foreign factories: bathrooms are locked, employees are foced to work overtime, there are starvation wages, no health care and workers are fired if they try to defend their rights. Walmart has also been implemented in child labor violations, which is another serious problem!

So next time you go to a Walmart, remember this asterisk: What had to happen in order for me to buy this? And although I love my watch, I feel guilty that someone may have received little money and had to work overtime without being able to go to the bathroom in order for me to have it. That's not right. Walmart needs to stop this and manufacture its goods the right way.

Should We All Be Veggies?

As far as I can remember, I have always loved eating meat products. Chicken, steak, bacon, sausage, seafood, etc. I loved protein! It was not until we watched the video about industrialization and pork that I even began to think about what has to happen in order for me to enjoy a cheeseburger. Hearing those pigs scream was torture in itself. One of my tablemates couldn't even bear the film and refused to watch! And although I have never considered giving up meat, this is the first time that the idea has even crossed my mind!

The video we watched in class sparked my interest, so I decided to find out more about animal cruelty. I found an article in the Chicago Tribune about the ways in which animals are being slaughtered for fast food industries. Some industries shock the animals and then slit their throats, yet PETA is pushing for industries to gas the animals. Is this more humane? Maybe. But it is all pretty cruel. Now, I no longer blame my frienda Jesse and Gen for being vegetarians, rather I applaud them. Why do these animals deserve to die, especially in ways such as gassing and decapitation for us? Quite frankly, it's a little appauling. Although I don't think I'm capable of giving up meat, I strongly stress that people should be aware of what is going on.

Is Black History Month Racist?

Last week, my dad and I had a discussion about Black History Month. Since it is Black History Month and we have been discussing it in class, I was interested in what he had to say. Also, as a boy my dad grew up in Mississippi, meaning his response could be intriguing. Although he is not racist, racism is still prevelent in the south. I was curious if the way he was nurtured and the fact that he was surrounded by racism as a boy would impacted how he felt about Black History Month. I was somewhat suprised to hear his response when I asked him what he thought about the Month. He thought it was racist. Not because blacks got their own month, but because only the blacks got their own month. My dad responded that if whites designated a month as White History Month, it would be racist and raise a lot of protest. So why isn't black history month racist?

In my opinion, this is a very good point. Why do we only have Black History Month? Why isn't there an Asian History Month or a Jewish History Month or even a White History Month? Many people would argue that those months (especially a White History Month) would be racist; so then why isn't Black History Month racist? In my opinion I think Black History Month IS racist. I think it is very important to study the history and treatment of African Americans, but why should Febuary be designated as Black History Month?

So what should we do? Do you think we should remove the title of Black History Month from Febuary or should we keep it? I think that removing Black History Month would be seen as an act of racism against African Americans. This is why instead of calling to remove the title of Black History Month from the month of Febuary, I am merely trying to raise awareness. What do you think we should do?

Facebook Romanticized

It seems that facebook has swept the nation. Almost everyone I know has a facebook and it's a great way to keep in touch. I can contact friends in different continents with just a click of a button. Personally, I am part of the wave that has swept our nation. Even my sister wants to get one, but luckily for me she isn't in high school yet.

Facebook is another way for me to be myself, express my opinions and keep in touch with others. I think facebook's great and also very romanticized. People talk non-stop about facebook. People love sharing pictures and writing on people's walls. And recently, it seems many of my friends have gotten into writing notes on facebook. So is facebook really that great? Yes it is cool, but for 60 million people to have one, wow!

Also, facebook can be dangerous. Kids have to be careful when accepting friends. There are numerous articles, such as this one from the New York Times that talk about sexual pretadors seeking to get in touch with kids. Kids have to be careful when accepting friend requests. So if you decide to join the wave, make sure to be cautious.

Blago: Oppression and Agency

As we all know, Governor Rod Blagojevich has recently been impeached and effectively removed from office. His impeachment process was both very bothersome and seen as unfair by many Americans. There was definitely a lot of agency and oppression that occurred during his impeachment in my opinion.

OPPRESSION
1. The people were oppressed. Blago was found guilty of trying to sell the senate seat or at least discussing this. This is oppressing the people of Illinois because it is unfair. The people deserve a fair governor and a good senator.
2. In my opinion, Blago was oppressed. The hearing was unjust because the jury was biased. I don't believe anyone truly knew if he was actually going to sell the seat or if he was just talking about it. This is a crime, but in my opinion he doesn’t deserve to lose his job as governor necessarily or possibly lose his pension and go to prison. Also, the government recorded his phone conversations, which in my opinion violates our first amendment.

AGENCY
1. In some people’s opinion, Blago has oppressed the people of Illinois by even discussing the sale of the vacant senate seat. He is taking away the people’s right to a just senator. This power has been given to him through his previous job, as the governor.

2. Personally, I believe that Blago was oppressed by our judiciary system, who obviously obtains power from our government. How can we leave the future of a man in the hands of biased, everyday people? Also, it wasn’t right record his phone calls and listening to his conversations.

MY VERDICT
I believe in order to limit oppression we should both watch our state and national representatives closely and improve our judiciary system. Corruption would be limited if we simply observed representatives a bit closer. Does this mean we should tap phones? Not necessarily because that could be seen as oppression. Also, I believe that a new system might be necessary. Countless innocents have been jailed or sent to their deaths and countless criminals have gotten off. We need technology such as lie detection software to make better decisions. But that’s just my opinion; what do you think? Do you think there could have been a better way to deal with the Blago situation?