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?

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?