Situation in Afghanistan...

Something that i have been watching quite carefully on the news these days has been the current situation with the korean missionary volunteers in Afghanistan. These volunteers were captured by the terrorists in Afghanistan who are believed to be a part of the Taliban. 2 of the volunteers have already been killed and there are still more than 20 innocent people held under hostage. All this talk about the war and the draft got me thinking and i realized that wars really are a major problem. South Korea has decided that if the terrorists kill any more hostages, they will go ahead and declare war and send troops to fight the terrorists. What started as a journey for missionaries to help out in Afghanistan has led to a complicated battle where another war may begin. There are going to be so many casualties if another war starts and this is only going to cause mayhem. All in all, i honestly am kind of frustrated at those volunteers who decided to go to Afghanistan even though the Korean government told them over and over that they should not go at a time like this. I respect the fact that these people wanted to help out in Afghanistan but now bigger problems have risen because of them and a war is about to be started because of their ignorance to the government.

When it's over...

I was thinking since this class is such a fascinating group of individuals, when we leave class next Thursday, it wouldn't have to be with tears in our eyes. Seriously though, it's a cool group of people. I propose that we have some kind of farewell party. I MIGHT have a cool location, and no, sorry, it's not a club, so I guess it wouldn't be the kind of "butt clapping" party that steve familiarized us with early on in the blogs. Sadly, I am not P-Diddy and I can't really get those kind of things together right now. There would be no dress code with the exception one rule: no 60 chinchilla coats. Anyway, we could like grill out, socialize, those over 21 could maybe even get a little "tipsy" or whatever you want to call it, and if someone has a volleyball net or something, we could do that. I still have to check with the proper people about using the place i have in mind, and maybe someone may have a better idea for a location... I don't know.

If you guys think it's a good idea, let me know. If you don't care if you see anyone in this class again, or maybe you just don't care to see me again and you think it's a terrible idea and that I'm just an obnoxious moron who sits in back of class, rambling incomprehensible garbage about Wisconsin and adding irrelevant comments to the class discussion, then feel free to make me aware of that as well.

Maybe I'm just a weird young, midwestern small town guy, and you guys think this is a totally absurd idea. In that case, sorry.

power

What exactly is it with people and power? What's so great about it? I understand how feeling in control of one's life is part of what gives an individual a sense of self - a solid, tangible foundation from which to grow - but why do so many people take it so far beyond that?

What is so good about being the most powerful and being in control over other? In 1984, the Inner Party members strive to create a world in which they maintain absolute power and class differences for eternity. Okay, but then what? After they've achieved this, what are they going to do? Sit back, relax, and take in the sights of the wretched world they've created? Watch their mindless human inferiors drag themselves around, taking pleasure in knowing that the brainwashed masses would do anything they were commanded to do?

Those in control will have created a world of empty human shells. Everything worth living or fighting for will have been either consumed or destroyed - everything except for brainless human-power. What's so great about that?

I'd think that part of the satisfaction of controlling others is that the people you're controlling know - on some level, at least - that they're being controlled...maybe even jealous of how much power you have. But if the masses you're controlling have no brains, what's the point? You're the most powerful person in the world, but you can't rub it in anyone's face because everyone's incapable of understanding what that means.

Or maybe that's not the point? Why is "playing God" so intoxicating? Why are so many people obsessed with the Sims? Power is something everyone wants in some form or another. It's necessary even, to survive. But the notorious "power-hungry" dictators, politicians, businessmen, and CEOs whose scandals make front-page news - those types can never get enough of it.

I wonder if any of them seriously thought about what would happen if they did succeed in nation or world-wide domination. Maybe the only thing they're concerned about is becoming more powerful. Maybe the possibility of that happening is zero, or maybe the idea is so unsettling that no one wants to think about where the world is going and what we're going to do when we get there. Maybe the power junkies will just continue gathering power, so long as there's enough stuff left to fuel their journey. But when it's all said and done, and there's nothing left to own or control, where will that leave them?

And if they've mastered their own forms of doublethink and are immersed in their own realities, what do we do to stop them? Can we do anything? If we could....would we?

Advertising in the 21th Century and beyond?

After watching the video on the advertising strategies yesterday, I was really shocked at how far the companies were willing to go to finding the holy grail of the consumer industry. It's really shocking how just several individual words can actually create a desire in the customer's mind and motivate them into purchase. They didn't reveal what the secret behind "luxury" was but I mean it couldn't have been more than just a set of ideas and guidelines and here we had huge companies such as Boeing spending millions of dollars purchasing these secrets from a man who believes it is the key to the ultimate prize. It's simply amazing. It also talked about how customers develop immunities to advertisements and I am thinking to myself what happens when customers become immune to the newer methods of advertising? I mean it's scary as it already that they are implementing advertisements into movies, but wow, it really comes down to us. I really understand what the guy meant in the end that the secret to advertising is to make the customers convince themselves. We really are the ones in control here.

Swift's Proposal

Swift obviously didn't mean his proposal--sell children to be eaten by other people. He was just being cynical and or sarcastic with his country's problem of poverty and overpopulation. I just can't understand why poor people still want to bear children eventhough they are aware that they can't raise their kids decently. Parents should be responsible with child-bearing, because the problem lies not only on their shoulders but on the whole nation as well. Check out these sites for pictures similar to Swift's proposal.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/cannibal/fetus.asp

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/static/dowbrigade/babysoup.jpg

Where do you get your news from?

So today its so hard to get the facts straight from popular news sources. I am wondering where does everyone get their news from. The handout Tim gave us on reading the news made me rethink where i get most my news from. I used to watch the Daily Show with Jon Stewart a lot. It seems as if the news seemed more truthful when everyone was making fun of it. I used to read a lot of Al-Jazeera during the beginning days of the war. It seemed as if everyone hated them from the Middle East to the U.S. Now i kind of just watch local news because i have no more cable (which totally sucks).

Another Song

10 easy steps to create an enemy and start a war: Listen closely because we will all see this weapon used in our lives. It can be used on a society of the most ignorant to the most highly educated. We need to see their tactics as a weapon against humanity and not as truth. First step: create the enemy. Sometimes this will be done for you. Second step: be sure the enemy you have chosen is nothing like you. Find obvious differences like race, language, religion, dietary habits, fashion. Emphasize that their soldiers are not doing a job, they are heartless murderers who enjoy killing! Third step: Once these differences are established, continue to reinforce them with all disseminated information.Fourth step: Have the media broadcast only the ruling party's information; this can be done through state run media. Remember, in times of conflict all for-profit media repeats the ruling party's information. Therefore all for-profit media becomes state-run. Fifth step: show this enemy in actions that seem strange, militant, or different. Always portray the enemy as non-human, evil, a killing machine. THIS IS HOW TO CREATE AN ENEMY. THIS IS HOW TO START A WAR. THIS IS HOW TO CREATE AN ENEMY.Sixth step: Eliminate opposition to the ruling party. Create an "Us versus Them" mentality. Leave no room for opinions in between. One that does not support all actions of the ruling party should be considered a traitor. Seventh step: Use nationalistic and/or religious symbols and rhetoric to define all actions. This can be achieved by slogans such as "freedom loving people versus those who hate freedom." This can also be achieved by the use of flags. Eighth step: Align all actions with the dominant deity. It is very effective to use terms like, "It is god's will" or "god bless our nation." Ninth step: Design propaganda to show that your soldiers have feelings, hopes, families, and loved ones. Make it clear that your soldiers are doing a duty; they do not want or like to kill. Tenth step: Create an atmosphere of fear, and instability and then offer the ruling party as the only solutions to comfort the public's fears. Remembering the fear of the unknown is always the strongest fear. We are not countries. We are not nations. We are not religions. We are not gods. We are not weapons. We are not ammunition. We are not killers. We will NOT be tools.
Mother fuckers
I will not die
I will not kill
I will not be your slave
I will not fight your battle
I will not die on your battlefield
I will not fight for your wealth
I am not a fighter
I am a human being!!!

-Anti Flag
"Anatomy of Your Enemy"

I missed class Monday, 7/30.

I was out sick today. Can somebody fill me in on what I missed? I just watched The Persuaders videos linked on the Schedule page. Did you guys watch and/or discuss that? The Acxiom Corporation freaked me out, but not in a surprizing sense... I wikipedia'd 'em and found out that in 2005 they were a nominee for the Big Brother Awards for Worst Corporate Invader for a tradition of data brokering. Also, they have an office in San Mateo! I might have to go check them out. I wanna know what "lifestyle segment" they place me in...

Jonathan Swift

I think it's interesting how Jonathan Swift makes a proposal to better the lives of children. For some reason, his first paragraph really tugged at my heart because I could just imagine those little children trailing behind their mother just begging for money and food. It seems like Swift attempted to make a change for single mothers and families living in poverty by appealing to the government. As long as the government caters to the common good of the children and families, it will benefit the country by reducing the number of Papists, increase marriage rates, and so forth.

Thinkin back on an old subject

I was watching TV and i saw that Peta was bitching about something today. i was thinking that sometimes we seriously have way to much freedom. i cant stand people that are always fighting about animal rights. i mean don't get me wrong i like animals but i don't love them i like people better. i just feel like there's way to many people starving in the world to be whoring about dolphins or seals or something like that. now you hear about Michael Vick is being investigated for dog fighting. I think dog fighting is a really bad thing to do, but do i think he should go to jail for it not really. i think they need to give him a BIG!!!!! fine and probation for it, not go to jail, he didn't kill anyone. I mean if he wanted to see blood Watch UFC, all I'm saying there's way more important thing to figure out in this country. like so many unsolved murders or the murders that go unsolved the the U.S. Mexico Borders. maybe because i been raised like a Mexican and usually Mexicans do not treat animals like equals. I mean my culture has rooster fight and bull fighting maybe that's why i don't see it like such a bad thing i don't approve it but i don't think it should be something to raise hell over it. What do u guys think i want to hear for other prospective.

More about the essay...

Another exchange about Essay 3, specifically:

aleli ann espinoza <aleliann_espinoza@yahoo.com> wrote:

"The Essay
Explain how Orwell in his novel reveals a particular truth about our world today."

Hi, Mr. Maxwell!

I'm confused! Can the third essay be like a comparison between 1984 and today?

Thanks,

Aleli Ann

Tim Maxwell wrote: Hi Aleli,

Sort of, but not exactly. Your assignment is try to show how some particular aspect of the novel--not the whole novel!--helps you to see the world as it is today. You might begin in your prewriting to compare and contrast the two worlds, but be certain to focus on a specific element of the novel and show it helps you understand a corresponding part of our world.

Tim

aleli ann espinoza <aleliann_espinoza@yahoo.com> wrote:
what i did... i picked out four similarities of orwell's dystopia and our world today.. and explained how they were similar... in fact, i'm almost done with my first draft. I hope i'm on the right track... or am i not? (fingers crossed)

Tim Maxwell wrote:
Sounds good, but be certain to assert a synthetic thesis, one that states the nature of your comparison.

NOT good:

"There are many similarities and differences between our world today and Orwell's 1984."

NOT good:
"There are four similarities between...."

Better:
Orwell in 1984, displaying his keen insight into human nature and the patterns of politics in the modern world, foresaw, with some important differences, the War on Terror .


aleli ann espinoza <aleliann_espinoza@yahoo.com> wrote:
what i did... i picked out four similarities of orwell's dystopia and our world today.. and explained how they were similar... in fact, i'm almost done with my first draft. I hope i'm on the right track... or am i not? (fingers crossed)

what?! then, i'll have to shred this essay and start over...

you're making me cry!!! huhu... (kidding)

thanks...

"I read somewhere that you've got to beware you can't believe anything you read."

Everyone laughed at her joke-As if they'd never even heard it before-And maybe they were truly amused-But every word that she spoke was a bore-And maybe it's because they had seen-The previews on the TV screen-Well this part is good and that's well understood-So you should laugh if you know what I mean-But it's all relative-Even if you don't understand-Well it's all understood-Especially when you don't understand-Then it's all just because-Even if we don't understand-Then lets all just believe-Everyone knows what went down-Because the news was spread all over town-And fact is only what you believe-And fact and fiction work as a team-It's almost always fiction in the end-That content begins to bend-When context is never the same-And it's all relative-Even if we don't understand-And that's well understood-Especially when we don't understand-Then it's all just because-Even if we don't understand-Then lets all just believe-I was reading a book-Or maybe it was a magazine-Suggestions on where to place faith-Suggestions on what to believe-But I read somewhere-That you've got to beware You can't believe anything you read-But the good Book is good-And that's well understood-So don't even question-If you know what I mean-But it's all relative-Even if you don't understand-Well it's all understood-Especially when you don't understand-And it's all just because-Even if we don't understand-Then lets all just believe-But there you go once again-You missed the point and then you point-Your fingers at me-And say that I said not to believe-I believe-I guess-I guess it's all relative -- Jack Johnson - "It's All Understood"

NO Draft

I would hate to see a draft for several reasons. First, I would be sad because I would have to leave all of you behind. I will not stand and fight if I see no just reason for doing so. Second, such legislation would destroy this country. Reading about politics right now is pretty scary. Both sides hate each other and there is no trust. In out young, there is also a strong line. I don't know how many would stand up for themselves, but I think the numbers would be high, meaning that in the case of a draft, a decent number would resist. The draft would pull us further apart and really destroy our political system. Some might actually prefer that, but we would have to endure a tough transitional period.

Is it just me, or does anyone else thing this country has outgrown its political system? What if we had the American Union, a coalition of independent regions of the current US. Would an idea like this be too radical to work? Is it un-American to think this way?

Essay Writing

Hello All,

I thought I would quote a little exchange between your classmate and me that might give you some idea of what I think you can and should do with your essays:

Melody:
Hey Mr. Maxwell

What should I do if I can't find the answers to my questions? Ditch them and pick easier ones, right?

But what if there's no real answer, just a likely one?

Tim:
Hi Melody,

Your questions, both here and on the blog [e.g. "How profound does it have to be?] are among the most important there are. I know you already know the answers to all of them.

Go deep.
Look for answers that only might be right but which seem right to you.
Take risks.
Make the strongest case you can for your ideas.
Modify your assertions according to the evidence.

Melody:

Thanks? and yes.

...I was hoping for an easier (and more unsatisfactory) answer, so I would have the freedom to write an easier (and equally unsatisfactory) essay.

military draft.

When i read the prompt for the midterm, i knew exactly what i wanted to write about. I feel that a draft should be put in place at a time like this where there are not enough soldiers who are willing to volunteer themselves into the military. Recruiters try so hard to try and recruit as many people as they can and the past year at my high school, i would see recruiters come at lunch almost every two weeks to try and get students involved with the military but it seemed like most students were not very interested. There would be pull up competitions held by these recruiters at lunch for rewards and this seemed to attract many male students but this contest didn't do much to help recruit these students but this contest did eventually just become a way for guys to show off their power and strength. None of these guys were honestly interested in joining the military and i just felt sorry for the recruiters because each time they came, it was like a complete waste of a time for them.
I was surprised when i got a phone call from the army not too long ago because it wasn't even my house phone they called, it was my cell phone. I was curious as to how they got my cell phone number but i didn't really think of it as much. They kept on trying to ask me what my plans were and why i wouldn't want to join the military and i kept giving them reasons but i realized something about 5 minutes into the phone call and that was that I wasn't an American citizen so i would not be able to join the army even if i wanted to. The recruiter just told me "that's fine then but do you have any friends i can contact to ask them a few questions about the military?" I realized the recruiters were really desperate and i felt bad for them to a certain extent.
Almost everyone knows that these recruiters often give false hope to people by saying they guarantee a successful future and stuff. With a draft, these recruiters don't have to lie about anything and there is no false hope laying out there for anyone. Now to those who are not aware, Korea has a rule where all males must go to the army for a mandatory 2 years and if there is a war going on at that time, then its tough luck and you have to go fight in the war. As a Korean male soon turning 18, i received my letter for the army a couple months ago and i know it is something i have to go to and there is no way out of it. I personally don't really want to go but atleast it doesn't give me any false hopes that after i go to the army, i will be guaranteed college education and a successful future. I think America needs to go back to using the draft because it eliminates any false hope out there and America will be able to have the certain amount of troops it needs to finish the war if it is even possible to finish the war.

Midterm

It's pretty scary to realize how much advertisements can manipulate your ideas... especially when you're a kid. For the research for the midterm I found an ad for the marines and it was of this guy working through obstacles... getting a sword out of stone... slaying a dragon... then turning into a marine. What a way to get the attention of little boys! It's almost disturbing the way our government is trying to brainwash kids! AAAHHHHH! Don't let your kids watch TV... it's not safe!!!! I wouldn't be surprised if they started playing these types of commercials on cartoon network or the Disney channel! Anyway, I know that it currently isn't quite as bad as make it seem, but I think it's wrong.
In regards to Tim's idea about the draft.... I completely agree. But, I also think that women should be forced to be included. Women want to be treated as equals... so there you go! And as Tim said... it would make people realize that they don't want to be fighting this war, and something would be done about it... finally!!!!!!!

DRAFT

Talks about the reinstatement of a draft is rampant and I don't like it. So are the recruitment ads and recruiting officers. They are everywhere.
I suggest, if the government is in desperate need for soldiers, they have to broaden their search. They can recruit the non-citizens and non-permanent residents into the service, as well. There are lots of them in the country and, if the government offers citizenship or permanent residency at least, some of them they may be willing to serve the United States.
The draft is unfair. Are we not in a democratic country? Can't we decide on things that really matter to us? If the draft happens, maybe we're not and we can't. Maybe we are not free after all, just like the people in 1984.

Draft Proposal Response

I disagree with you Professor Tim. I don't think reinstating the draft would be fair. In class, you seem to sway towards the idea that these horrible recruiters are using agressive tactics and deceiving promises to lure young men and women who are disadvantaged into joining the military. Sure, they may be annoying, but they're just doing their job and actually saving the people who don't want to go to war. I'm certain that the people who choose to serve know the consequences they might have to face upon joining the military, but overall, they feel like the benefits outweigh the negative factors. I think the Student Privacy Act should be destroyed because the many people who are unaware and would be interested in serving for the military are robbed of this opportunity because parents are afraid they'll lose their children in war. There is already a scarcity of soldiers as is. The more recruiters go out to find potential soldiers, the less chance a reinstated draft will take place. After all, these people who make sacrifices for our nation make that CHOICE...they aren't FORCED to do so no matter how hard recruiters try to persuade them. I would be infuriated if students who are starting college, and on the path to academic success, or even fathers or husbands who have no intentions on being a part of the war whatsoever, are drafted when there are so many other potential people who would be interested in serving the country. I don't care what anyone else thinks...I say recruiters are doing a great job!

Essay #3

We didn't discuss your third essay in class yesterday--and there were no questions about it--so I'm assuming that you are working on it and having no real difficulties. You have all, at least, completed Step 3, "Read and Understand the Assignment," right?

If you do have questions this weekend as you write your essay this weekend, use the blog to address your questions to me so that I don't have to repeat myself in multiple personal messages.

The peer workshop was scheduled for Monday, but I will move it forward to Tuesday. The rest of the schedule requires updating as well. I will make these changes today or tomorrow.

Can you believe it? Our summer together is fast coming to a close.

Those with few blog entries are headed for a low grade on participation. Now is the time to redeem yourselves. You can start by letting the class know how you respond to my draft proposal.

Have a lovely weekend.

Tim

Midterm Follow-Up

I look forward to reading your letters on this issue your military service, which, although you might not think anything of it at the moment, could become the central, life-altering issue in your life next week or next month or next year...

What if another war opened up on another front? What if one of our closest allies were attacked--England, say, or Taiwan--and we simply had to fight? (This would be different from the elective war we are involved in now.) What if our own borders were threatened?

We just wouldn't have the soldiers to respond.

Therefore, I propose that we reinstate the draft immediately.

In addition to working toward satisfying our need for military preparedness, we need a draft so that we can begin living up to our ideals as a nation. Do we really want to be a country in which the most privileged members of our society get to have freedom to enjoy the benefits of our nation's power while, disproportionately, those with the least opportunity for success must make the sacrifices to maintain it? I propose, therefore, we make this a fair draft, to include all Americans, male and female, in college or not, married or unmarried, and perhaps even "old" people (like me). Draftees would have to serve your country for a minimum of two years. There would be alternative ways to serve than soldiering for those with special skills, with physical or other disabilities, or with conscientious objections.

We must realize that every benefit we enjoy comes at a cost, if not to us directly then to someone else. Our freedom, which can be defined by the fact that most of us had never had to think about it before, is terribly expensive. The time has come for us to earn it.

Military propaganda ineffective?

I dont know about you guys but after looking at countless military propagandas over the last few days I started to realize that don't really affect me at all. I mean usually in the past when a military advertisement comes up on tv or on the net, I kinda just ignore it like any other commerical. It doesn't really stick to my mind at all. I guess what they are appealing to me just don't click or something. Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me?

is "honest recruitment" an oxymoron?

The midterm today...booger. And not just because it was an in-class essay. I wrote something about how there needed to be a change in military's unethical recruitment strategies, but I'm being a big hypocrite. It's not like I have any better ideas...none that are in the least bit plausible.

Since the threat of a draft has been removed (at least for now), the military has begun "fishing" for recruits in high school and college campuses. It's annoying as hell and some of their tactics are pretty reprehensible, but I wonder what I would've done in their place. How can you tell people about the ugly side of being a soldier and the truth about the war - and still get them to volunteer their lives? Is there a fair and honest way to get enough recruits to supply our nation's army, or are the words "honest," "fair," and "recruitment" incompatible?

1984 Movie

Here's Part 1 of the movie 1984. You can watch the rest on YouTube for those of you who are interested.

every lazy students dream

i was in the computer in my living room, and the t.v. was on, and the news in on. I herd the funniest thing in the world. apparently these students from diablo college we arrested for trying to change there grades. i find it funny because if they would have spent the time and effort that they did changing there grades, for studying they would have really good grades. i don't think its relevant to anything but i thought i would share it with people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRj0x_eOe5I

Definition of Propaganda

After we talked about propaganda on Monday, I just wanted to share this with you guys. My definition of propaganda is making fun of a person, group, or thing, and sending a powerful message across . I took a graphic design class in high school, and one of the project we had to do was to make a propaganda ad or poster. I manipulated a Ipod ad into a Ismoke ad, which I was making fun of Marlboro. My friend manipulated the Uncle Sam "I Want You!" into "I Want Your MySpace!" I thought these were funny things to share with the class.

Beginning and Ending of 1984

After finishing the novel "1984" by George Orwell, I am not satisfied. I thought to myself that the whole novel was balance. It was kind of like there wasn't any conclusion to the book. After breaking Winston, he now abides the party and so does Julia. After discussing 1987 and how reliable/unreliable Winston is, Professor Maxwell, discusses how there was no conclusion to the show, "The Soprano's". I thought that in my mind as well, "1984"(the novel) was kind of a "no conclusion" kind of thing. Overall, "1984", was an interesting and enjoyable novel to read. I hope you've also enjoyed the book too!

Vent (Part 2)

Leaders

One of the biggest problems we face is leadership and responsibility. In this country, good leaders are very difficult to come by.

As we grow up, leadership opportunities are presented at an early age. In elementary school we have class elections for student council. While it is only a popularity contest, many of the kids vie for the position. Everyone wants the power and what they believe to be control of the classroom. There is no control or power in the job, so as a student representative, your main role is to report what happened at the meetings.

Along with class offices, responsibility is also presented. As one grows and matures, they quickly learn that actions have consequences. Many times no one wants to take the blame and everyone hides, just hoping they do not get in trouble.

In Middle School, we are surrounded by a larger student body, and student council is a less appealing job. Promises of longer lunch and more snacks are often made, but at this point there is still no power in the job. The number of potential candidates has shrunk, and instead of there being a good 25% of the school wanting to run, we are down to about 25 people out of 1000 or so. This trend continues through High School and often times it is the same people running who have always held office. There is more responsibility at this age, but very few opportunities for new leadership. Kids become afraid to run and let their ideas falter. Many are afraid of the public stage, but the majority do not want the responsibility of an entire high school.

So as you can see, the number of leaders that grow from our schools is very small. Past graduation, the number of leaders continue to fall. No one wants to make a stand for what they believe, so we are stuck with the same group running our world.

Through all this I am not saying new leaders do not exist, but I am saying that there isn't nearly enough. I think our schools need to put more emphasis on how our government works, but more so on the fact that we are the government. Many of us are scared of the rules and regulations the government imposes, but do not realize that they were created by people like you and me. Our schools need to teach that we can in fact make change and laws, and that we are not limited to what "they" impose over us. So while I may not always voice my opinion on every matter, I try to. If you feel you are being wronged, then stand up and say so. This country was earned, and if we want it to stay ours, we are going to have to fight for it back.

A Bit of a Vent (Part 1 of 2)

The Problem With Politics

Ok, so this isn't all that relevent to the book, but I think people need to wake up to the world around them. I am sick of hearing people say, "How does it affect me," and "I don't care." Untill everyone realizes that this is our country and that we shape it, we are never going to make any progress. I am fortunate to live in a place and attend a school with a higher percentage of people who care about the world, but in general California is a bit ahead of the curve. What is going on back east and in the Mid-west? How can people not see that this country is falling apart and the gaps, both politically and financially are constantly growing? Is everyone just self-absorbed and oblivious to the fact that their ignorance is one of the biggest parts of the problem?

The majority of our politicians are incumbents, while those who are not are either replacing one who has died or voting boundaries have been redrawn in a way that puts a new party in power. We have guys (and girls) who have been in Congress for well over 40 years! These people lose all touch with not only their district, but with the times as well. We have people running this country who in the 60's opposed Rock and Roll. I don't know about you, but I find this tough to stomach. Most of these leaders are scratching each other's backs for a financial return, and keep their jobs as long as they aren't charged for a crime.

It is about time we get some new leadership and people running this country who are in touch with the times, and who are more concerned with change rather than their bank accounts. We talk about how corrupt other nations are but easily forget ourselves.

I am saddened because I don't see much change happening. The political parties just want seats and offices, with their main focus on bashing the other side. Egos need to be lost and they need to talk out their differences.

History and the truth

After reading 1984 and thinking about how the Party in Oceania influences Winston's perception of truth as well as history got me thinking about the history that we are taught. We learned history according to the way the authors of our textbooks present them. I believe history textbooks published in America will present historical events with different spins that other countries would. For example, how do you think the children in England are presented with information about the American Revolution? Or, how do elementary school children in Germany learn about World War II? We are given some undeniable facts in history classes, but alongside these facts we are also presented with the author's slant, and even the teacher's, so I guess our sense of truth in the history we learn is also warped. This is a little bit disturbing to think about because it kind of parallels some of the things going on in 1984. Members of Oceania know what is "true" to be whatever they are taught. I guess what sets us apart from Party members is that we are also taught to question what we learn, while they do not know to think for themselves.

THOUGHT POLICE

Believing One's own Beliefs

I think Winston is reliable. no matter how much reason they might put into it showing his faltering beliefs of the history before he had changed them, Julia, and O'Brien. people say he is unreliable because he changes his mind about julia. his thoughts on julia changed because he had a bad first impression of her. he eventually found out that she too, wanted to defeat the party. and o'brien, he thought was a friend to him and an ally to revolution against the party. he was wrong in this assumption or thought but does that make him unreliable? of course not, and why? because it was an impression. not a bad narrative because he isnt narrating it in the first place. its 3rd person right?? there are two versions of his mothers death. one, winston sees his mother sink in a ship. the second winston taking his sisters share of chocolate and eating it. the first is actually a dream or an analogy of how the union of his mother and he were broken. the second he recalls in his torture with the ministry of love. by the way, he also loses track of time when he is being tortured. and since he admits this he is not trying to convince anyone what time it is and whatever else they may presume.

"Misdirection. What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes. "- Gabriel Shear

Winston knows what he is talking about because he believes in it. If you believe in yourself and are trying to explain it to others who dont comprehend are you lying or being unreliable?

and victory gin, alcohol and other foreign substances release inhibitions of people. they are more likely to express themselves without thinking of the consequences.

ps i had about 5 shots of 20 year old, 120 proof, cognac before writing this

media and lies

I had a friend who passed away 2 years ago. The media actually portrayed him and his friend for being bad kids. They said that he stole that car and more cars from the past. I thought it was pretty messed up that they were portraying my friend as a juvenile and delinquent. They were accusing him and his friends for previous auto thefts which were not even proven. He was actually on the front page newspaper for about two days and during the accident him and his friend passed away. They were more interested in a "hotter" story that they did not even care for the truth. It seemed like there were only interested in things that seemed to give them a bigger story. This made a lot of people that I've talk to think that my friend was a bad kid. It led people to judge him and not care so much of this death at such a young age. I find it funny how people believe what they hear or read on the media but not take the time to realize that there are two sides to every story.

The 5 paragraph prison

I just got my freedom essay back, and the teach told me that i was trapped to the 5 paragraph format. were you have a flashy intro and a thesis that has 3 examples, then from those 3 examples you make 3 paragraph and the conclusion. I have never escaped this 5 paragraph prison, I found my self to be programed to do this style of writing, because i was always taught that this was the right and only way to do an essay. so i always write this way but this time this writing style made me get a C+. isn't ironic that i was writing a paper on freedom and i found myself writing in such a restraining format. Can you guys tell me how i can escape this writing prison that is the 5 paragraph essay.

media and lies cont...

So a kid from a highschool near my area was killed in a car accident about a year ago and it caused a lot of attention from the media. He was a young teenager who had been hit by a drunk driver late at night but that is all the news told us. Now the young boy had friends with him at the time and those friends and the young boy had been smoking pot late at night when this incident happened. The media never released anything about the young teens getting high when this incident happened and only mentioned that the driver had been drunk. I think the fact that the teens were high changes the story a bit because those children shouldn't have been out that late at night walking around streets getting high. I have seen many other incidents like this where the media hides things and i don't think the media will ever really tell you the whole truth.

No more silence from you silent ones! You have many fine postings to respond to and, of course, you may create your own blog article/entry if it strikes you to do so. This is required--worth, in fact, 100 points. How many of you have done 100 points of work here?

Mostly, I want to hear from you. How often does anyone really want to hear from you? Enjoy it while it lasts.

media and lies

I remember when I was a sophmore in high school, there was this kid that was killed due to gang violence. Now this kid was not like the media said he was, the media said he was a sweet kid who never messed with nobody, and that the gangs killed him. The truth was that he was not a sweet kid, he was a gang member. He would fight in school and cuz at the teachers. my point is that the media sometimes bends the truth a little to make the stories sound more compasonate. because if they said a gang member was just killed, people would be like good those gangs need to stop. they need story that would relate to human emotions, like the firefighters getting the kitty out of the tree thing. what do you guys think???

Fear of paranoia

Class of beautiful people,


Do we all fear risk? Do we all know what we are really fearing? Lets take an example of what I saw on the news this past Saturday. A mountain lion was spotted near Fremont Older, A place I mountain bike weekly. It turns out that I was there and saw this SAVAGE BEAST OF FLESH EATING CARNIVOROUS TEETH, AND DEATH DEFYING ACROBATICS THAT ARE SAID TO DEFY GRAVITY ITSELF. Someone that was on the trails must have seen the mountain lion as well. They must of called the ranger or someone because to my amazement it was on the evening news that very evening. The picture they showed while the newscast was similar to this one shown first to the upper right.. Lets take a look at these teeth, Pretty fucking scary huh! (insert sarcastic grin here!) So the Mountain Lion I saw was perched under a tree enjoying some shade. This pissed me the fuck off ! The media insisted to portray this Mountain Lion as a beast that always poses like the above photo. What a crock of shit I though to myself. In actuality it looked more like the one pictured on the far right.

My point is that we are constantly bombarded by misconceptions of truth, either for ratings or unfortunately to control our positions on matters. Instead of showing the truth that sometimes can be so dull a snail will fall asleep, media still jumps to the front of the free ice cream line every time. Lets take 9/11 that was discussed in class today: Oh boy did we see shit hit the fan on that day. We were censored like little babies from the horrific sometimes stomach shitting image's of graphic reality. If you were to watch news reels of what France, South American, &c news stations were showing you would see peoples insides on the floor. Pictures of what a person looks like burnt to a crisp. This is all graphic and sad to think about, at least for me.....
9/11: We were alive for, maybe the most horrific conspiracy's that ever happen on American soil. I think we are the generation as well with help from the slightly older generation that is going to bring some kind of calm to all the hurt that has happen in this world. From the first bullets, to the last ad promoting smoking as sexy and cool. We must all say "FUCK the norm." We are educated and much smarter than the karma fucked adolescent deals made behind closed doors. None of us may ever know what lies beneath the soil of all this credibility gap, but one thing is for sure. We/some/ have become aware that racism, hate, and lies make our earth darker in brilliance.

Steve

paranoid, or cautiously vigilant?

“Making us paranoid” could be one way to describe the purpose of our class…it depends on your definition of “paranoid.” If you have to make the teacher evil, I guess you could say he’s killing our sense of faith and trust (if we had any to begin with) in the things we accept as truthful. At first what Tim was saying about how the media and government controls our thoughts through ads and propaganda seemed pretty unfounded, but then I started looking at stuff for the midterm and media monitoring project…
This whole thing about questioning what’s true and what’s a lie is all over the place – you don’t have to go around trying to analyze some cryptic statement or presidential speech or even know much about what’s going on. One article in Sunday’s San Jose Mercury News flat out stated how unreliable our version of the truth is…
The American version of the truth: in the middle of the night, American troops had come under fire from gunmen in a residential area in Baghdad. The troops responded with gunfire and missile-carrying attack helicopters, dropping a bomb on the buildings where the shots were coming from. An American military spokesman man explained the seven explosions that occurred immediately after were probably caused by explosives store within the building they bombed. Iraqi police reported that the six people killed were insurgents, and the homes were probably used to store weapons.
The version of the truth presented by Iraqis who lived nearby: the area bombed was controlled by an army militia - the people who were killed came from two poor Shiite Muslim families who didn’t even own rifles. Two men, two women, and seven children – eleven in total – were killed. One man took pictures of several covered bodies, including two child-sized ones.
But when each side was presented with the other’s version of what happened, both altered their stories: the locals admitted to hearing gunfire before the bombings and the U.S. no longer asserted that only insurgents had been killed.
So both sides were “modifying” the truth, but by how much? Which version is more true? How can we know what we hear is true, when articles and reports of our government’s inconsistencies, contradictions, and scandals fill up every reliable news source? Sheesh…even thinking about how one would go about discerning truth from lies makes my brain go soggy.

The Media

As I was browsing through nytimes.com, foxnews.com, and cnn.com. I have to say, I am not pleased with the media. It seems like the internet has become so crazy today.For instance, Cnn.com, it aims directly through Harry Potter books and other plethora of entertainment as you first log on. As in foxnews.com, the page aims how "FDA warns consumers on tainted canned foods". I think that there are so many vague news out there in the media and should aim on one important news.

media

Looking at the different media I realized that they all had some things different. Most of them had the hairspray movie more then others and others had more news about what was going on in the world. A new movie came out great for them but I think it’s more important to find out what is going on in the world.

The difficulty/ease of reading 1984.

Has anybody else had a similar experience while readin' 1984? In the beginning things were so bleak and suppressive that getting through the beginning readings was tough because it was terribly depressing. Thing perked up a bit when Winston would come to an interesting realization in his diary, but then they were back to normal. But once he read Julia's note, everything took a drastic change for the better. The depictions of Winston's surroundings and observations were decidedly cheerful, his health even started to improve! Readin' about the two of them shacking up, and finding small bits of happiness in their ludicrously depressing world was relieving and exciting. I found myself turning the pages a lot faster. Then, Winston read the chapters from the book and it was back to tedious time for me. Now that they've been caught, though, I dunno how I feel about what's gonna happen next. But I expect it will be dreary and depressing all over again, and I can't say I'm psyched to finish the last hundred pages of this book.

Has this rollercoaster effect happened for anybody else?

Paranoia

I don't understand why someone in this class would feel paranoid. What Tim's trying to do is make us think outside of the little boxes we all live in, to think of how we're influenced and by how much. I don't think he's suggesting that our lives are just like Winston's, but that to some degree they may be similar. He's trying to make us aware of how easily the majority can be manipulated so that we always question authority before just accepting it.
If this was a ploy to get us to relate to Winston's situation, I think it had the desired affect.
Now... on to the comment that I have on 1984. So, after Winston's realization that he and Julia have suppressed their feelings for so long (because of BB) that they are incapable of human emotion, he and Julia talk about how when they are captured and tortured nothing could get in the way of their love. This is not even believable; they'd totally sell each other out to try to save themselves... they don't even know what love is! What do you think will happen next??... Now that they have been captured.
Will they be tortured? Will they come back briefly as Rutherford had?
I don't think they stand a chance against the thought police; they've already been brainwashed to the core, they'd be easy to break in interrogations. In other words... they're doomed!

Blogging vs. Slogging

Those of you who are regular contributors to this blog have thus far provided plenty of spark for a raging conversation about matters related to the course and ample entryways for the rest of you into the conversation. Yet, in spite of the best efforts of some to awaken others, not all of you are as yet making enough noise in this blog. There are far too many one-sided conversations here. This must end. Check in the with blog whenever you turn on your computer or check your e-mail and speak your mind. Think about Winston and his journal; what if he had the freedom of a blog?

This week, please think about the comment of one of your classmates accusing me of trying to make you all paranoid. My response was that I was doing just the opposite of stirring irrational fear in you but instead to be asking you to think rationally about the claims of others, to be skeptical of others' arguments rather than accepting truth as it is delivered to you (often in a glossy package!).

What do you think, am I trying to make you paranoid?

Media

During the discussion in the computer lab about the "truth" that we obtain from the news reminded me something my Chinese teacher told me once. She said that in China, certain topics are locked when searched on Google. When people search for information regarding the mainland China/Taiwan conflict there is a lot of information that cannot be accessed by the general public. Isn't that scary? It made me wonder if there is a similar filter in the US system that we just don't know about.

As I am reading this book and listening to conversations in class, I am noticing something that I had already noticed in the past but I had not paid attention to it until now. Our lives just like Winston's, it is all a routine: we go to school, go home, do homework, then some of us go to work, and sure there are periods in between where we do something different but for the most part it is a routine. The person that I had told this to in the past was my mom, I told her that all she did was go to work, come home, cook, eat, watch tv, go to sleep, and do the same thing all over again. I question if she was satisfied, not bored with her routine; at the time she did not give me an answer, all she told me was that that is what she had to do. Now I question my self as to whether what I am doing is worth something and now it is because I am doing all of this to graduate get a very highly paid job and enter routinely life that my parents are in. However I hope that I can do more with my life.

Victory Cigarettes?

Isn’t it interesting how every product in 1984 is named “Victory _____”? (Victory Gin, Victory Cigarettes, and Victory Coffee) The word “victory” makes it sound like it is the best product around, but in reality they are made poorly. For example, Victory Cigarettes falls apart whenever Winston attempts to smoke it. I think Orwell is trying to show how consumers are satisfied by the image of the product and because of that disregard the actual quality of it.
At my work there is this drink called “Madagascar Vanilla Freddo”. It’s just an ice blended coffee drink with vanilla syrup, which makes it a very typical drink at Peet’s. By adding “Madagascar” to its name it gives this image as if the drink is superior compared to the rest of the plain named drinks on the menu. The vanilla freddo is not particularly the best drink on our menu and neither are the Victory Cigarettes in 1984. From this I am understanding that consumers constantly needs to be reassured that they are pruhasing he best product on the market and the name of the product helps build the quality of it.

What do you think?

Winston's world and the movie Gattaca

As I was reading 1984, I remembered a very similar setting in a movie I saw, Gattaca. In Gattaca, there was very closed monitoring of the citizens and a clearly defined class hierarchy. If a crime was committed, in Winston's world, the police would eventually find out because of the telescreens and, more importantly, the Thought Police. In Gattaca, the detective work consisted of scanning the crime scene for any traces of your genetic footprint: hair, nails, skin, etc. In 1984, the government controlled its population by means of cultural conditioning that lasted throughout one's life. In Gattaca, the control would not so much be behaviorally-based techniques, but would start much sooner, in the womb. By using very advanced and precise genetic engineering, the parents could choose the perfect child; no diseases, no brain or muscular damage, perfect health, excellent looks, etc. The control lay not in the hands of the government, but at the mercy of the parents. The parents' perception of what a 'good enough' genetic makeup, and therefore qualities of the unborn child, can easily be influenced by the government.

A crazy symphony of language

I keep reading in science magazines, like Discover, how closely linked the physical brain is to our language. If a person has the left hemisphere of his brain damaged, he cannot say certain parts of his language. I show him a cup and ask him for the name and he can't say it. He knows what I'm asking him, and he knows it's a cup, but he just can't say it. So this patient goes through surgery and the doctor wakes him up during the procedure to test if he's fixing the right part; to do so, he delivers light shocks, and these shocks make him babble. What a wonderful puppetry.

Or, if instead of thinking of this as puppetry, how about if you think of it in terms of music. The patient is like a harpsichord, and the doctor plucks certain strings that make him say a word; that is, produce a sound. If he brings in another doctor and some nurses, each armed with the electroshock device, they can maybe make a melody out of the sounds; or in this case, produce whole phrases out of the individual words. Then, Orwell would chime in and say that this individual already has ready-made phrases in his brain that just need a very small push to come out. So a nurse's assistant comes and joins the surgery, delivering electroshocks to the back part of his brain, making the patient spew all kinds of tired phrases and cliches. All medical staff combined, the doctors and nurses in charge of the melody, the main phrase, and the nurse's assistant in charge of the harmony, the cliches, make out of this patient an eloquent person.

Boringness

Some of you are complaining about how dull of a character Winston is. Are you familiar with the phrase the banality of evil? Even the most cruel and darkest society people don't walk around with horns and a pitchfork. The same holds true for the good guys. They don't have halos and they aren't involved in high speed chases on page too. You guys have been spoiled by fiction and TV; most of life is just routine. Winston doesn't have any ace in the hole; he has to go about his daily life so that he won't starve to death even though he knows that the TP will get him. For those of you who are intrested in other stories that have this level of excitment and darkness (aka the events that inspired him to write this story) read darkness at noon (the purges) or one day in the life of... (gulag). If it simply gets gets too boring for you relax, take a deep breath and remember it is a short book.

The two similar societies

In regards to the in class discussion about Bush’s unclear speech, I feel that if an individual really cared about what’s going on around them, he or she should really use their own time to research on the issue and use their own brains to judge the credibility of the issue themselves. In our society, you can’t rely on the media or government officials to give you truth on current events because every new station and government official is biased in some way for whatever reason. For example the Fox New Station is one of the only new station in America that stands on the liberal side of the political spectrum. While, news channels such as ABC, NBC, and CBS tend to be on the conservative side. However, my point is, if an individual really wanted to know the truth what’s happening, he or she should not rely on anything but themselves. Every one of us is born with a brain, so we should use that brain to filter what we see and hear around us and to make educated judgments by ourselves. Nevertheless, the sad truth is, the majority of Americans just don’t seem to care that much and are not willing to put in that extra effort, as a result, the majority of the population is living by false information.

In connection to 1984, I definitely agree that the telescreen from 1984 is very similar to how the US government is currently spying on it’s own citizens under the Patriot Act. Another thing that I noticed was the close similarity between the working class of America and the people of 1984 in terms of their everyday lifestyle. The people of 1984 have very little free time after work, and even if they did, they are so tired from work that the only enjoyment at home that they have is smoke and drink beer. This is very similar to the working class people of America; their work hours so long that when they come home they can only watch TV and sleep. However, more importantly, when people are constantly worked like animals, they don’t have the energy and the time to think and to find ways of elevating their living standards. You find this a common sight in America, people who find a job, usually stay at that same job level all their lives, because they simply don’t have that extra energy and time to educate themselves and climb higher on the social ladder. In the case of 1984, by keeping all their citizens either constantly at work or dead tired by the time they get home that all can could do is to smoke and drink alcohol, it becomes really easy for the government to control them. Because, like the people of America, the people of 1984 don’t have that extra time to think about why their life is so difficult everyday, and if the possibility of a better lifestyle is out there.

Ministry of Truth

"They have a really delicate balance to walk, between keeping us relatively fearful, but not so fearful that we stop what we're doing and really examine how it is that they've been waging" -J. Stewart

http://www.liveleak.com/player.swf?token=de2_1184562739

1984

I went to Target yesterday and the first thing I noticed was the camera and screen situated right above the entrance. Not only was my entrance monitored, but the cameras throughout the entire store recorded my every move. The employee at the exit door also took my receipt and went through my bag of purchases. Sure, this is all done for the sake of security, but can't I buy what I need without having someone go through my stuff and scrutinize my every move?

Later in the day, I went to see Harry Potter at the theatres. I came a bit early and watched as countless amounts of propaganda were played before the previews. From the Army, to the Marines, to the National Guard...everything was glorified and depicted as heroic, fulfilling, and motivating. In one of the commercials that was played, I remember seeing a child handing over a flower to a compassionate American soldier bearing an enormous gun. Is that really how it's going to be if I decided to join the armed forces?

From shopping to going to the movies...these little things in life can be relatable to 1984. Though everything in 1984 is a bit more extreme (such as the telescreens monitoring every move, hearing every word), it is fair to say that there are some aspects of our lives that aren't entirely devoid of surveillance and scrutiny. Also, whether we are aware of it or not, we are constantly being exposed propaganda (military) and commercials/ads that seek to make us behave a certain way. For example, when you see an ad that glorifies the armed forces like I did in the theater, doesn't it make you believe that joining the army is going to give you feelings of great satisfaction? It tries to persuade you in a way that makes you fail to recognize the harsher realities of joining the armed forces, such as war, violence, and possibly death. Or what about when you see an ad at 1 AM in the morning about a weight loss pill that claims to be fast, safe, and effective? They entire ad is glorified in a way that you may fail to recognize that weight loss pills are usually ineffective and dangerous substitutions for healthy diet and exercise. My point is, like the society in 1984, we can be just as easily brainwashed to the workings of our government without being aware of it. It seems crazy, but it is possible.

1984...

So over the weekend, I went on a trip to Tahoe with my family and since I knew i wouldn't have much time to read 1984 after getting back from Tahoe, I decided to read the book on the way to Tahoe. I was surprised at how I was so drawn into the book but I just read the book without much thought and I was just being entertained. Once I arrived at Tahoe, I walked through the casino to go to the hotel lobby. Something that immediately caught my attention were the cameras installed all over the ceiling inside the casino. I'm not talking about 10-20 cameras installed throughout the casino, I'm talking about hundreds of cameras. It seemed that the whole ceiling was covered with surveillance cameras and this reminded me of the telescreens in the novel. I felt like every move I was taking was being watched and even though I wasn't doing anything wrong, most of my attention went to wondering if those cameras were looking at me. Now obviously those cameras were probably installed to catch thieves inside of casinos but just the fact that those cameras were there watching everyone's movements was what scared me. It just made me feel restricted for some reason and I didn't feel so comfortable seeing so many cameras planted to the ceiling. For a second, I felt like i was Winston in the novel who just tried to avoid being seen by the telescreen. Just the fact that someone somewhere was watching me felt like I had to watch out for what I was doing and I felt like I could not be myself. If I had not read a part of this novel before entering the casino, I don't think I would have paid attention to the cameras as much.

Driving and the Radio

Today as I was driving to work, I was listening to live 105, not because I like that station, but because my brother took my ipod adapter and I couldn’t listen to my own music. As I turned from Lawrence to Saratoga, they began playing a Likin’ Park song, the one from the end credits of Transformers. I pulled into the lot and had the car off before the song ended and thought nothing of it.

After work, I turned on my car, and once again the same song was playing, almost exactly where it left off five hours prior.

I know this sounds random, but whenever this happens I am always curious. We aren’t quite living in a society as is found in 1984, one where we are always watched, but these events always strike me as odd. It is very much like the “Truman Show”, as if I am being watched by an audience and maybe on today’s show, there was a commercial break while I was at work, and the show continued as I climbed back into my car. I also thought about Newspeak, or the numbing of society they are hoping for in 1984. Everyday it seems the variety found on the radio, and even TV is decreasing. TV shows are very alike and “alternative” rock consists of a handful of bands. Even with all this, I am still hopeful. On occasion a new show, or radical new group arrives on the scene, and are often embraced because we as consumers of media are constantly looking for new ideas to consume.

1984

Winston... could they have made a less likable person? He is so boring to me I can't stand it! I have read this book before and I still don't like him. Anyway...
So about this brainwashing thing... I sometimes feel that advertisements and everything else in society brainwashes us just as in 1984, of course not as extreme. Do you ever feel like a prole? Like a law abiding robot? With advertisements everywhere (like at the gas station as Mina mentioned) how could you help but be influenced by them? Let's face it, our society has developed itself into a perfect brainwashing system, just as in 1984. Winston (in my mind) represents individual freedom. He obviously has to follow cerain rules of his society, but he also defies his government with his journal/thoughts, that is how he is free.
I think that 1984 is the perfect exaggeration of what life is really like.

Sports, Politics, and Language

An Associated Press article I read this morning made me recall George Lakoff's essay about the metaphors built into our language that shape our view of the world. In it, the reporter discusses how the Bush administration routinely uses sports imagery in its discourse. It got me thinking.

When we explain something complex to an audience, we use often metaphors and analogies to to convey an idea without overwhelming those who are uninformed with too many technical details, transferring the discussion into a context that is more familiar to the audience. When a poet attempts to describe her complex feelings about love or mortality, she may choose figurative language to represent these abstractions in concrete terms in such a way that we can experience them sensually. In this way, the greatest poetry makes us understand complex emotions with our bodies.

Politicians, who never relent in their efforts to advance their agendas, often use such imagery not to make what they are explaining clearer but to disguise an idea that the audience, if it were given enough info to understand the idea directly, would find upsetting, terrifying, outrageous, or damning of the speaker. For example, an Army spokesman describing the grisly deaths of ten American soldiers in a bomb attack might say, "We took one on the chin today," conjuring an image of a fist fight or a boxing match rather than charred body parts and young lives lost. We are less likely to doubt the whole war effort if we are taught to see its horrors in these terms. Language, then, can be used to distract us from the realities our world and our actions. Look out when perfectly understandable facts have been replaced by distracting metaphors.

In sports-distracted America, analogies to football, basketball, and baseball are incredibly useful to make things seem understandable but they can be incredibly deceptive. Certainly, most of us--especially men--understand sports and so understand these analogies. When we hear about touchdowns and homeruns, we understand, but few of us really understand the complexities of politics, of our own government, of history, of foreign relations, or our justice system, or of ethics. False sports analogies, like the ones described in the article, are often used to make us feel that the world is one big game that can be won or lost, that if we lose this one we can come back next season and try again, that the stakes are more about doing our best to defeat the other side than creating a peaceful whole, and that the world is divided up into teams we are loyal to no matter what.

What chance to do we have when all the news we get is during news briefs between televised sports and commercials?

1984

It is interesting how "telescreens" are everywhere in 1984, because that is the direction our world is heading towards. I was at a new Shell gas station yesterday and there was a little screen on every pump. I thought it was very unnecessary to air commercials at a gas station, but I noticed every customer was staring at their screen blankly while pumping. Isn’t it strange how people are attracted to T.V screens? I’m not saying there are better things to do than watch those Shell T.V shows while pumping gas, because in all honesty, there is really nothing else you can do while pumping gas. Pumping gas does not take much time in my day and it is not an activity I consider boring, but having a TV screen at my station does not make my experience any grander either. People watching the screen (including myself) shows that we live in a time where we feel the need to be constantly entertained.

The 1984 in 2007

We don't exactly have a Ministry of Truth, but the entertainment and advertisement industries of our world, combined with the language of today's politicians, seem to be doing a pretty decent job of what Syme describes as the purpose of Newspeak (pgs 53-53): narrowing the range of consciousness until the need/opportunity to think for oneself is eliminated altogether.

The entertainment and advertisement industries seem to have merged into one big thought-killing/controlling machine. In movies, TV shows, and music videos, actor and actresses with unrealistically flawless bodies swig cans of Pepsi or Coke, wear insanely expensive designer clothes, possess all the latest technological gadgets. If you drive to SF airport or flip open a magazine, check your email or turn on the TV - you'll see those same celebrities (or other equally flawless models) hawking those same products on billboards, ads, animated banners, and commercials.

This stuff is everywhere, but we're so used to it that we don't see it. Even when we find ourselves fat from the cases and cases of soda we drink, clothed in last year's ridiculous trends, surrounded by piles of obsolete gadgets, and drowning in debt from buying them - we still think our thoughts are our own.

But they are your own, say the politicians. Spending money boosts our economy. The rate at which gadgets become obsolete testify to the fact that America is the home of the best and the brightest of minds, always at the cutting edge of technology. And don't let anyone call you fat. You're not fat - you're simply a horizontally-challenged person of substance.

Pretty soon we're all going to be like the duckman, quack quack quacking.

ads take away our freedom

Q: Is this something we, as a society that claims to stand for freedom, justice, and equality, can tolerate?

A: It is really hard to answer that question because not everyone is able to see what you saw in and ad. I was unable to see it until you told us because I'm really bad in history so it was harder for me to make connections of all the elements and be able to come up with the conclusion that you came to even though you gave us time to analyze it. Also when we are looking at an ad we often just glance at it only to notice what is being sold and making it really hard to go deep. So since many of us are blinded to this, we don't really ask ourselves the question of whether we can tolerate having our freedom taken away or not.

government

Our government I find to be very interesting, although I don't think that's the correct way to say it. It claims be an ideal government and that all others should be like, however (and this is the interesting part of it) it is very similar if not just like all others. At time of elections, candidates promise numerous thing knowing that they will probably not be fulfilled and they do this for the sole purpose of winning votes. Then when in office, they are questioned by the people, why have they been deceived, when promises are unfulfilled, and the presidents always give a thoroughly thought out answer that might include lies to make us believe that we are getting a true and good answer, but their answer is most of the time to dodge the real answer. Just like Bush, the answer that he gave regarding the question of the iraqi war was very thought out because he would pause before saying a word to say things in a cryptic way to dodge having to say a straight answer because if he would do that then more people would be against him, and as a president what he needs and wants is more people to support him. I find that very sad because instead of giving people an informing answer, he feels that he has to weave around and lie with his answer just so that he and every president can gain or at least not lose support. However I don't think that none of us will ever do something because in order to do something against the government we need a large enough group that can be noticed, therefore it is more convinient not to do anything and as betty said, we are satisfied, and I believe that the only time someone has a response against the government is when they have a personal issue to address. Everything else we just brush it off of our shoulders and pretend it is not happening.

1984

I was speaking to one of you yesterday after class about my hero, George Orwell, and I may have seemed almost religious in my praise of him. He is the guiding spirit of this course: humane, articulate, and incisive. He sniffs out hypocrisy and authoritarianism wherever it may be found and promotes sincerity and authorship in their place.

Our exercise in class yesterday in which we analyzed the excerpt from President Bush's press conference was intended to illustrate Orwell's argument that our political leaders use language and abuse it to disguise their true intentions. You all were able to cut through the words to the kernal of substance in that paragraph and put it in much clearer prose. Orwell would be proud of you as readers and writers but horrified by the state of language a half-century after his death. Clearly, we, as an electorate in the 21st Century, do not insist on clarity and directness in those whom we trust to lead us, yet without real transparency of language how can we know on what basis to make our decisions as citizens? How can we know when we should lay our lives on the line for our country or when to hit the streets in protest? If we are told nothing in a nice way, we will know nothing and still feel warmly toward those who have appeared to provide us with the info we need to understand the issue. We are, thus, as Betty wrote, "satisfied enough and quiet."

In 1984, Orwell is, as I read it, almost prophetic. As I argued, the "telescreen" is proliferating in today's public spaces with tvs and surveillance cameras, controlling our attention (keeping us distracted) and watching our every move. What specific element in Orwell's novel do you believe has parallels in today's world? What does it mean?

This Says It All....

This blog contains some great reading. I hope you are reading all of these, just as I am. Every now and then I will feature a particularly terrific posting and invite as many as possible of you to respond to it. This week I will feature Betty's terrific response to the question of our freedom. Betty wrote:

I feel free enough. I mean, ideally none of us would have to worry about getting parking tickets, running late for class, or even being brainwashed by Tommy Hilfiger ads, but I guess that's all stuff we've learned to live with.

I think the older we get, the more responsibilities we take on and with all of these new responsibilities, we feel less and less free. At least I do. I feel like as I grow and mature and learn new things, there are new standards constantly being placed on me and I have to live up to them. Well, we're always trying to strive for more and climb higher oh whatever ladder we're climbing, so it's like I can never stop and take a break and actually feel free.

But none of this is to say that I am not happy with how much freedom I feel I have. I know we're all lucky here not to have to worry about bombs and stuff like that. Anyways, the bottom line is, I have enough freedom to keep me satisfied and quiet .

This strikes me as being at the heart of how powerful interests manage to intrude on liberty, our privacy, and our values without our objecting, and how we allow for injustice to happen all around us and to us with our acquiescence. We are allowed just enough to keep us from truly standing up and protesting the abuses others commit in our name.

In response to the Hilfiger discussion

When I told the class last week that I would argue for my analysis of the Hilfiger ad until all of you agreed with me, one of you--I can't recall whom--protested, "Hey, but I thought we were allowed to have our own opinions in this class!" Others of you in your blog postings have referred to my "opinion" or my "belief" about the ad; many of you are positive that I must have "overanalyzed" it or proposed an interpretation that was invalid. Now, it is time for me to answer you all.

First, you are entitled to your own opinions, both in this class and as guaranteed to you by the Constitution of the United States. As some would claim, "this is a free country" after all. Although if you work at Walmart or Starbucks or any other corporation or business I wouldn't be too free with my opinions or ideas if I were you, for these institutions, in most cases, are not run democratically and are not interested in their workers’ free self-expression, which if exercised might result in termination. In this class, by contrast, I hope for you all to feel free to have a voice, to make your thoughts and ideas known, and to feel safe in your self-expression. I also expect that, both here in the Blog and in class, that you extend that right and courtesy to one another as well. You can do this by showing mutual respect and thus creating an atmosphere that extends the greatest freedom to the most. (It would limit the voice of your classmate, for example, if you called him or her "a pencil-necked, swamp-drinking platypus" or talked over someone with a quieter voice.) You should expect the same from me. So far, our discussion has been lively and interesting and respectful--I am very pleased--yet I know it can get even better. How? If we all try to manage to withhold our opinions.

"What?" I can hear you all say, "I just thought he said..."

I don’t mean to limit your freedom of expression; I’m just not so interested in these:

o·pin·ion (-pnyn)n.
1. A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: "The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion" Elizabeth Drew.

I want to see you rise to support your ideas with evidence, positive knowledge, and/or proof whenever you can. I’m looking for well-developed ideas, supported with illustration and explanation. Without this, you will have to resort to verbal trickery, your personal authority, strength of voice, or weaponry to manipulate your audience with or you will fail to meet your objectives.

One kind of evidence is derived from careful observation and analysis, and this I have tried to provide in my interpretation of the appeal of the Hilfiger ad.

It is my mere opinion that the ad is “offensive”--you don't have to find it offensive yourself. But if you want to dismiss my argument that the rape narrative I described exists in that Hilfiger ad, I expect a counter argument from you. Warning: these, for example, don't work:

Tommy would never do that!
It's just sex. Sex sells.
English teachers always "overanalyze" everything.

Now, I just don't know how clear we were on the question. Were we concerned with whether the ad demonstrates that the marketers intentionally portray this woman as a rape victim? whether it establishes that Tommy is a racist? whether it exposes that such a narrative is a part of our collective, unconscious understanding of things, that we expect this is the way the story goes? or whether such a narrative could ever sell product?

There are so many questions here; here’s my attempt to make my argument more precise:

• I have no knowledge of who conceived of this ad or its different elements, so I make no claims about the intentions of its creators. Without evidence about a conspiracy to propagate racist ideology of commercial or political purposes, I will refrain from making any such accusation.

• This ad, like many, succeeds in an unexpected way: rather than focusing on the attributes of the product itself--advertising is far more complex than that in how it manages to motivate us to buy--it makes us feel insecure in ourselves, at least, subconsciously and that insecurity drives us then to spend money in an effort to compensate for our perceived weakness. Why else show skinny people when advertising for weight-loss pills?

• How can an African-American woman make a “declaration of independence,” move into her rightful place at the diner’s lunch counter, and advance in mainstream America? Easy, by buying Tommy products. Beware, however, that these products are so expensive as to sap a young person’s income to such a degree that she must work excess hours at a low-wage job rather than studying in school, run up credit-card debt, or beg her parents to direct their scant resources to Tommy rather than to her and her development as a student and a citizen. Her “independence” looks like freedom when in fact it is only another, more subtle kind of enslavement.

• Our reality is the stories we tell about ourselves and those others tell about us. Most ads retell stories, usually ones we’ve heard many times before, so many times that they lurk in our unconscious where they serve to construct our expectations about the way things will happen in our lives. Boy meets girl and they live happily ever after. We are all happier when we are sailing. Girls will get what they want if the wear scanty clothing to show off their skinny bodies. Men will get what they want if they drink beer with their buddies. In the Hilfiger ad, African-American girl gets raped, (Did you ever consider the historical fact that black slave women who bore the children of their masters bore more slaves, making rape an economic tool and these women factories of slave labor.) White men will understand that the woman is receptive to the white phallus.

My point is that it doesn’t matter so much whether some ad agency actually thought this all through--although if they did, I should like to know about it! What matters is that the racist story I exposed does retell a historical story in a way that perpetuates the racist imbalances of the period rather than condemning them. Is this something we, as a society that claims to stand for freedom, justice, and equality, can tolerate? How about selling cigarettes to kids using cartoon characters?

Joining the blogging etc.

This is me, Melissa saying hello to you guys and that i may in fact actually be blogging now...

this is the is my introduction paragraph on freedom unedited:

Can all of us say we are free? Free to do as we please? We all have the right to freedom growing up in the country known as this United States. In fact our country’s very own creation was founded on the notion that all men are free. For being such as an in alienable right, it has an awfully abstract meaning. Everyone is supposed to be entitled to the same freedom yet everyone has a different definition for it. Skipping all the “...Life, Liberty...” we go straight to the pursuit of happiness; can we really pursue what we be our will? I can say I have freedom of speech. Can I say anything according to my inheritance from this society? I can say that I’m free, but I can also say I’m not free. I am free to do as I please. This rule means, go to college, eat junk food, sleep in, write my English papers on the eve of its due date, skydive and save the world from bad guys; whatever I want to do as long as I am not impeding on, altering, or taking away others’ right to be free. I virtually have choices to the power of infinity and just passed it. Since we live in a this free society, our freedoms must coexist with its rules. Our so called “freedoms” are give by society; a community in which must not violate its rules to be a proper member of and reap its rewards. This reward we receiver for being a part of this society is called freedom. And since we also live in a community we have to deal with others’ freedoms. We have to deal with other people’s religions, expectations, opinions, ideas and products. Thus making us slaves of consumerism. I am a slave of the society that is built solely on freedom of men.

Subject:Tommy Girl

This has been way too much work for such a short post. Anyway this is in responce to the speculations over the Tommy Girl ad. I know, a little overdew. Anyway I thought it way disturbing not that it was done, but that it implied they thought it would help them sell more products. What kind of people think that way? I'm not refering to the designers, I'm refering to the customers. The entire line of thought is disturbing. If you find this vague talk to Tom. His suspisions are what brought this all about (Although the reason I'm not tying it up is because you know saying bad things makes them happen). I don't know anything about the company, the product or its head so I can't comment on the racism or urban legend features. Dang Tom didn't send me the second e-mail!

When I sift through most advertisments, I see pornography, incest, pedophilia, rape, homosexuality, and many other perverse subliminal messages that warp the pure sense of self. Ads tell us what we need. How to be desirable. How to be sexy. They stress that the superficial is most important. They scream at us, "Take pride in that which takes no accomplishment or effort!" "The best way to find love, trust, and a satisfying relationship is to be promiscuous!" "If you don't have firm tits and a tight ass then your worth as a woman is zero!"

I am not sure whether the racist, sexist, or voyeristic tone of this ad is deliberate. I'm not even sure if that matters. What I do know is that the truth always comes to light. The evil and crude things that are in the heart cannot be hidden because they will spill up and over into our communication styles. A liar always slips up. You just have to watch and listen carefully.

Lets say for the sake of conversation that the intent of this ad was to show that, 'Hey, we (Tommy) LOVE black people!'. Perhaps it was a marketing attempt to fix Tommy's image, what with all the bad press about him being a racist. To show that at Tommy they feel that black Americans are just as American as Anglos. But the lack of compassion and understanding is apparent in the advertising. So regardless of what is said and regardless of what I think, the proof shows that 'Tommy's' heart is not in the right place. And to me that is what is truly important.... The heart of man.

Tommy Girl Ad

I personally think that the advertisement did show a little racial discrimination. Having a young African-American girl sitting in a diner reflected back on the Civil Rights Movement, when African American's were not allowed in the diners. I would assume that portraying this picture as some sort of rape is extreme. I believe that the Tommy logo was placed right above her crotch area to make it more of a seductive picture. By having her legs apart and the logo near her crotch makes the people look more into that direction.

TH poster

Argument: The Tommy Girl poster mocks Blacks by placing a young black girl provocatively sitting in a diner, where Blacks where previously banned from entering.

My view: A college student or a school teacher could notice the same observation, but most people wouldn't. I don't think the average Joe links a black girl sitting at a diner to Civil Rights prohibitions, and even college students have a hard time noticing it, as evidenced by the fact that, out of a class of more than 30 students, no one commented on it while the ad was being discussed, and only one student mentioned a fleeting thought about it. Whether said inference was intentional one may never know, but I hardly see the benefit of a racist ad in this 'politically-correct' times.

Responses to Emily and Ann

Maybe I did fall for the ad. But, in the end, I'm not buying any kind of Tommy Hilfiger product, anyhow. Lame...
And I actually did say that Tommy is trying to show the perfume will improve you. I think I just kind of pondered who would be dumb enough to believe it.

On a totally unrelated note, WHO ARE YOU GUYS?! For the most part, I have no idea who I'm talking to...

FEEL FREE to begin your discussion...

Just to kick it off, I will throw out a question: Do you feel free? Why or why not?

For this one, instead of creating new postings, just respond to this one,

Tim

Response to Tommy Girl ad

The Tommy Girl ad as a statement of vulgarity and as a rape scenario is quite extreme in my mind, but I thought that Professor Maxwell made some critical observations and drew some compelling arguments. I was definitely impressed. Upon first seeing the ad, I noticed that it did exacty what any successful ad was out to do: appeal to the masses with a pretty smiling face, comfortable lighting, and a little bit of sex appeal. I would never have taken the placement of the Tommy logo or placement or shape of the perfume bottle as allusions to sex or rape.

I think this ad is successful if viewed from the average consumer's perspective, but after hearing the professor's observations and interpretations of the ad, I am convinced that the company did everything very purposefully in this ad and perhaps was making a conscious statement about the owner's views on race relations, or even to assert his own dominant position in a social heirarchy. I think they did it in a very clever and artful way so that the subtle attack would only be picked up by people with educated backgrounds. I am glad I am now a more aware consumer and can look out for these things in the future.