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?

My Civil Disobedience

As a 16 year old, there are many driving laws to follow. There is the law that I can only have one person (not directly related to me) in the car. There is also a driving curfew of 10pm on weekdays and 11pm on weekends. Last weekend, I went to an event with my Youth Group, where we went down town for a scavenger hunt in limos. The problem was that were not supposed to get back to the temple until 11:30 and my parents couldn't pick me up. What should I do? Should I try to hurry up the event so we could get back before curfew? Thoreau states: "But if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law," (Thoreau 274). In Civil Disobedience Thoreau says that it is worse to do injustice upon someone else than to break the law. To me, this translates to: Don't hurry up the event, because it is unfair to your friends. So, in the end, I decided to break curfew. Was this the right decision? Well, since I didn't get caught, I guess it worked out. What would you have done?

I know that the rule about only driving one person at a time is rediculous. Why does it matter how many people are in the car or if they are related to you? I know many 16 year olds have broken this law, so why even have it? Should laws like this be followed? Why is J-Walking illegal? I'm not saying to break seemingly rediculous laws, rather I am questioning them. Is it "OK" to break curfew or drive with multiple people if the reason you are doing it is just. Do the ends justice the means? I believe in some cases they do. I am curious how many people follow these laws, even if they see them as rediculous. Do you follow the law or do you find yourself leaning towards civil disobedience?

Simplicity in Education

After talking about simplicity this week in class, it seems that our society does not embrace anything remotely close to simplicity in our education system. As a junior, I am very interested in "the college search" and finding a school that suits me. I have found that there are so many schools! And getting into certain schools is increadibly difficult. So many schools nowadays require more than hard work and good grades, but good ACT or SAT scores, SAT II scores, teacher recommendations, unique essays and much more. This process is overwhelming.

When creating the typical day at New Trier in class last week, we defined that our person's (Talyor's) goal was to get into a "good college." This goal is much easier said than done. There are so many colleges! And sometimes it's not always fair. Maybe you didn't get in to Stanford because they needed a trombone player. This process, to me, goes against HDT's philosophy and desire for simplicity. Our educations system is so complicated! Is there really even a difference in going to Harvard or going to Illinois? Well, in our society a degree from Harvard will help you get a "good job," but isn't the education at Illinois still the same? Don't they have the same classes and books? So then why is our society divided into "good schools" and "bad schools" and why is it so hard to get into the "perfect school?" I guess it comes down to ambition and determination. If Taylor is determined enough to go to a certain school, (s)he will probably get in. So why not a simpler system? Would it be better if all students received the same education? What if all students went to the same school? Some people might see this as equality, others as communism, but in my opinion it would make the process of getting into college a lot simpler. The reason I would not be in favor of it is because finding your "perfect" college is fun. What do you think?

Progress on Modern Day Issues

With the inaguration of the 44th president of the United States, change is immenent. President Elect Barack Obama has put forth plans to deal with many of today's national problems. Obama recognizes many of the modern day issues that we discussed in class on Friday. After Friday's discussion I felt compelled to not only better understand, but to inform about what our next president plans to do about these issues. Some of the major issues we came up with in class were education, health care and the environment. I found all of his plans on the official Obama website. His plans go as such:

Education:

He wants to heavily reform No Child Left Behind. Also, Obama plans to invest in childhood education, adequately fund all schools and get high-quality teachers at those schools. If done like promised, this could be major progress in the department of education. Hopefully, Obama's goals are not too idealistic, because education is important.

Health Care:

Obama is a big fan of universal health care. This means he wants equal and affordable health care for all. Hopefully we can call this progress. Although our nation preaches equality for all, universal health care is a big question mark. It does not seem to work in Canada, because there is a big need for doctors. This causes a lack of quality doctors, which makes their doctors "worse." Is Obama's plan progress? In my opinion: yes and no. According to Emerson, "society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other," (Emerson 36). I feel this is very true with Obama's health care plan. It is progress to give everyone health care, but we regress when we add less capable doctors. Again, hopefully we are making "progress" or that our progress is more positive than negative.

Environment:

Personally, I feel that the issue of global warming is our most important issue and needs a lot more focus than it is being given. Obama wants to invest in alternate fuel sources and create 5 million more "green" jobs, but I don't think this is enough. If our environment goes, we all go.

Overall, I do think that progress is being made because these issues are being addressed. Previously, the issue of global warming has not received enough attention. I am optimistic that our changes for the future will help solve these problems.