el Presidente

            Today we watched one of the Republic Primary Debates in English class, and I realized how little I actually know about each of the candidates and their policies. That bothers me, as this is the first presidential election that I will be able to vote in, so I want to make an informed decision instead of picking one based on a fact or two or not vote at all. With that in mind, I decided to look at both parties and see which candidate (at the moment) sticks out to me as the best choice for me.

            To figure out which candidate fits me the best, I first had to figure out what it means to fit me. I want a candidate who will make a legitimate effort to balance the budget. This obviously requires an increase in revenue and/or a decrease in spending. The candidates that want to reduce wasteful spending (I’m looking at you, world’s biggest military) and increase taxes on the rich (without taxing them into oblivion; I think 90% is a little too high- sorry Bernie). I think the American Political System as a whole needs to be readjusted. Taking big businesses and their money out of it appears one way, while introducing term limits for congress seems to be another. For foreign policy, I think the US should stay firm with what it says, but really shouldn’t be getting involved with other countries unless it is absolutely necessary (this is the point that most of the republican candidates really lost me at). Obviously there are other issues, but these are the ones that came to mind as I am writing this.

Looking at all of this, it would appear as if I’m caught between liberal and conservative, which I’m okay with. Bernie looks to be a good choice as long as his ideas hold up in an economic light ($15 minimum wage sounds good but could be tricky to implement). I also think socializing many facets of our life could be a double edged sword; one on hand I think at a minimum everyone must have access to a happy and productive way of life, but on the other I do not think someone who puts in minimal effort their entire life should receive as much as someone who works hard (obviously imbalances in effort like these happen in our current system, in some socialized systems life welfare (some who receive it need it and some do not) and some capitalistic ones like wall street- as I said before, the key is a balance between the two).

Rand Paul seems to fit most of my opinions, but I’m not confident he will raise taxes enough on the rich to make things fair and profitable for the country. Other than that, Rand seems to me like a great candidate, and it shocks me that a boob like Trump is so far ahead of him.

            Which candidate do you like the best and why? 

Why Do We Do the Things We Do?

            For the month of December, I have been and will continue to sell Christmas Trees at a nearby farm stand. Each day this week I go to school, get home for a few minutes, go to work, get home, eat dinner, shower, do my homework, and go to sleep. It struck me that this is most likely what my life will be once I join the work force, maybe with a little more free time but essentially the same (especially because the fields I want to go into have high workloads the first few years). This has got me thinking, why do we work so long and hard? In the end, a vast majority of us will be but a memory in a few peoples’ minds, if we’re lucky perhaps our name will be embedded in a Wikipedia article or two for eternity. Even the greatest of us will likely be forgotten in a few millennia; a mere wink in the life of the universe.

            While this all sounds quite ominous, I assure you things are not as bleak as they appear. For every part of our life, we work hard to improve the next stage. Sometimes this next stage is next month with some spending money in my pocket, sometimes it is five years down the road when I get that promotion I always dreamed of. First we work to do well in high school and get into a good college, then to do well in college and get a good job, then to do well at that job and (maybe) get another job, and upwards and onwards, either improving at one job or leapfrogging from job to job until we find one we love. This is one of the handful of key reasons why we work all of our lives. Without anything to do, life gets boring in a hurry. It only takes a week or two of summer vacation with nothing to do to realize that. With a job you enjoy, you are given something to do all the time that is both productive for society (probably) and keeps you busy. That is, in my opinion, why we work so hard in life.

Reader, why do you think we work all our lives (save after retirement)? 

Apps and Friends

            This week at school, the app “Trivia Crack” has become quite popular after over a year of little to no use. Within a few days, dozens of my friends had returned to the app and were playing it constantly all week. This got me thinking about apps, and how quickly they come and go. It feels like each month there’s a new app that everyone is playing, and most of the time that is the reality. It starts with one or two kids finding a fun new game, and it spreads like wildfire throughout the rest of the school. Within a week everyone is playing the game, and within a few more everyone has stopped because they have grown bored of it.

            There really isn’t any other aspect of our daily lives that comes in and goes out as quickly as apps. I think if we acted with other things like we act with apps, then they would enter and leave our lives just as quickly. For instance, friends would work in much the same way if we treated them like apps. That means we would suddenly hang out with them all the time because our friends were. After hanging out with this new friend non-stop for a few weeks, we would stop hanging out with them after all of our friends have grown bored with them. Thankfully, this is usually not how friendships work, but it definitely does happen. These types of friendships are most common when a group of guys become friends with a group of girls because one of the guys is dating one of the girls (or sometimes more than a few). Very frequently they hang out all the time while the relationships are working, but post break-up the groups very often part ways and don’t look back. Thankfully, most friends are around for much longer and are more dependable, so they aren’t really like apps. 

Entitlement

            I want to preface this blog post by saying I’m not a homophobe, nor a racist, nor misogynistic. I think the gay marriage movement is hands down one of the best social reforms of the 21^st century. I think women are (on average) harder working and more creative than men. I think everyone should have access to equal opportunities, and if that means giving some a boost then so be it. In other words, I don’t have an issue with anyone because of how they were born or for anything else they have no choice over. With that being said, here is my problem with our generation.

            The main problem with our generation is we are extremely entitled. If anything goes slightly wrong, we need everyone to stop what they’re doing and adjust their ways so we don’t feel a little uncomfortable. The first major issue with this I remember having was fifth grade field day. Originally, parents would cook hot dogs and hamburgers for the kids who would quickly eat them and then return to playing with their friends. The town eventually said the parents needed a permit to be cooking food for the kids, so the school switched to pizza. This went on for several years, until one parent was concerned that her child would feel left out because they are lactose intolerant, and cannot eat pizza. Instead of packing a lunch for their child, perhaps packing something special like candy or a favorite type of sandwich, the parent demanded that the school stop serving pizza. Not only was pizza by far the easiest lunch for the school to provide, it was cheap and a favorite of the kids. Because one kid felt a little uncomfortable, everyone had to have everything changed to suit his needs. A hundred unhappy kids to make one kid feel a little les uncomfortable, does that seem like a fair trade? Will the kid remember what he had to eat a few years down the line? No, he’ll remember having fun with his friends, which is the whole point of field day. In the long run, the change will make no difference to him, but made a difference to all of his classmates and every student who will pass through the school in the future.

            Another example of this in recent history was the graduation gown issue at the high school last year. I’m not going to pretend like I have a grasp of what it’s like to be transgender or pangender, but I don’t think the entire gown color tradition needed to be upset because of one unhappy student. Would it really have been that big of a deal for them to pick one color and wear it for the day? If so, could they not have worn a different color or gotten a gown with both colors on it? Much like the previous situation, hundreds of kids that year and thousands in the future had their lives disrupted to make one kid less uncomfortable. I’m not saying the student should just sit there and be uncomfortable, but there are many solutions available that do not require changing everything for everyone.

            As you can see, the clear issue is one person changing something that inconveniences hundreds more because they feel uncomfortable with something. Quite frankly, if something makes me uncomfortable, I tackle it head on. To me that is an opportunity for growth. I understand not everyone thinks like that, and I accept that. I cannot understand how they can rationalize changing something for so many other people when, in reality, there are many other solutions that would not affect others while still (to varying degrees) quell their discomfort. If we proceed into adulthood still weighing our own comfort over everyone else’s lives, we are going to have a very difficult time functioning as a country both within ourselves and with other countries.

            What do you think?

Privilege in Fantasy Football?

            It’s November. The trees have finally lost their leaves, the weather is getting colder every day, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. That means we are in the heart of football season, and that means we are in the heart of fantasy football season. This year was the first time I managed a fantasy football team, yet it feels like something I do annually and I am excited to start fresh next year and pick a new team (especially because my team has won a whopping 2 games of 9 so far). While fantasy football seems like a silly waste of time, it actually is pretty representative of everyone’s privileges and disadvantages if you think about it.

            Being born is like drafting your fantasy team- you really do not have much control over it. That great running back you drafted in the first round? Torn ACL week 1 out for the season. While drafting a fantasy team is a little bit more skill based than being born, they both are largely surrounded with luck. After a few weeks, it becomes clear whose team is going to succeed and whose isn’t. The same goes for life- after living for a while it becomes clear to you if you are meant to succeed in society. Be it skin color, gender, or household income, there are many possible advantages and disadvantages someone can be born into.

            Now, if you draft a bad team you aren’t inherently screwed. You can pick up undrafted players each week who perform well (because of players ahead of them getting injured or finally finding their stride). The way my league works is the player with the worst record gets first dibs at these undrafted players. This allows people who got unlucky with the draft to improve their team and even the playing field (at least a little). While life does not have as fair a system of allowing people who didn’t get a head start to catch up, there are some things in place to allow the less privileged try to catch up to those who are privileged. Some examples of these are scholarships and awards for minorities and welfare for the unemployed. While these systems do not make things even by any means, they definitely work to make things a little less unfair, just like picking up undrafted players in fantasy.

            Now regardless, not everyone is going to be as successful as everyone else. As joint second to last in my league, I can assure you of that. The point is to make the most of what you’re dealt, and to live life to the fullest (for the sake of the analogy, enjoy fantasy football as much as you can). 

What do you think, reader, is this a good analogy? What's an analogy that you would use to describe how some people are born into more than others?

Hair

            Every person has a few aspects of themselves that stick out to other people more than most things. This could be a style of clothing, ear/nose/lip/etc. piercing, tattoo or hairstyle, to name a few. When I was little, I used to always get buzzcuts because it was a quick and easy haircut. As I grew older, I didn’t like how they looked very much and decided to grow my hair out. After a few years of this, I decided I didn’t like the bangs in the front, so I began spiking up the hair in the front. I really liked this haircut, and have been doing it ever since. I have been told many times that my hair sticks out, and that people really like it. Yesterday, my friend Nathan (who also has a rather distinct hair cut) and I decided to shave our heads for the post-season tournament our soccer team is in.

            When I came into school the next day, a lot of my friends and teachers were surprised at the change, some pleased and some angry. I think my haircut had become a part of me and my personality, so when I cut it off it was difficult for some of my friends to recognize me. I felt not different, other than a little colder while walking into school in the morning. I would often forget that my hair was gone, until someone would make a comment and I would remember. Overall, it was really cool to see the difference in how you view yourself and how others view you. Also, it was cool to see how big of an effect our appearance has on others and the way they view us. So, reader, what is a significant characteristic of yours, and what would happen if you suddenly changed it?

George Willard: Man or Boy?

            This week we finished reading Winesburg, Ohio. Throughout the book, several events that signified George Willard growing up occurred. From the beginning of the book, George wanted to be accepted as an adult in society. He tries many different things to transition into adulthood, most notably trying to seduce several girls. In the story “Nobody Knows,” George loses his virginity to Louise Trunnion, but afterwards regrets it a little as he does not actually like her. As he walks home that night, he continuously says that she has nothing on him, reinforcing to himself that losing his virginity to her does not give her power over him. The issue within this is that George lost his v-card in the first place because he thought it would help him become a man, but after the fact he feels no more of a man, perhaps even less of one, than he did before.

            The next big step George takes towards manhood in society’s eye is getting in a fight. George is pursuing Belle Carpenter, but so is Ed Handby. Ed swoops in to win Belle from George, and George tries to fight him. Ed swats George aside into a nearby bush and goes off into the night with Belle. Fighting is often looked at as something that signifies being tough and a man, but George fails at this. This makes the reader wonder- is George really ready for adulthood? His experience with Louise is in the same vein as this, and makes you question if he really is ready for what he is getting himself into.

            This theme applies very well to my life and the lives of my classmates right now, as we prepare ourselves for a transition away from home to and independent environment. Do you feel as if you’re ready for adulthood? 

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover...?

            This week in class we have been talking about several of the stories in the book Winesburg, Ohio. In every one of these stories, at least one or two characters exhibits a mental defense mechanism. We have also looked at symbolism and themes throughout the story, and have kept coming back to the theme of hands, and what they represent. This theme got me thinking about what I assume about someone when I see their hands. If I see someone with long, unkempt fingernails, I obviously will assume they don’t have the best personal hygiene. This presumption extends much deeper than this, and I’ll assume they are a generally lazy person who cannot be bothered to cut their nails regularly. This will affect how I view them, at least until I get to know them better. If someone has fake fingernails, I’ll assume they are a “fake” person in the sense that they do a lot for show, not because they personally believe in the actions they’re taking. As for the hands themselves, soft, calm looking hands mean to me that person is careful and prudent, and will not do anything dangerous. On the opposite side of that, someone with lots of scars on their hands comes off as a daredevil. Coarse hands tell me that person is a hard and determined worker.

            Branching off from hands, other parts of the body can lead to me presuming things about people too. For instance, if someone has a very clean facial complexion, I will assume they like to keep good care of themselves and, again, are prudent. A scraggly beard does not necessarily tell me someone is lazy- often they are more preoccupied with other things that taking care of their facial hair has to take a back seat in order for them to succeed. Bed head tells me someone values a good night’s sleep more than looking great (I sympathize greatly with these types of people). A unique hairstyle will tell me that someone is a trailblazer, is self-confident, and doesn’t mind what other people think. Are there things of other peoples’ appearances that tip you off to their personality?

Freud in Artemis Fowl

            This week in English we’ve been reading Winesburg, Ohio, and have been examining several of its stories for examples of subconscious defense mechanisms as described by Sigmund Freud. This got me thinking about some of my favorite books, and if their main characters embody some of Freud’s defense mechanisms.

           

            My favorite book that I’ve read so far is Artemis Fowl, so I decided to examine it for signs of defense mechanisms. The main character of the book, named Artemis Fowl, is the son of an Irish crime lord who was killed through his business. This left Artemis and his mother with a vast estate and a missing father figure in their family. During the book, Artemis’ mother is bedridden, and is effectively insane. This is as a result of the loss of her husband, who, with his wealth and power, supported and led their family with ease. Without him, she has lost her direction in life, and subconsciously is in complete disarray. Her subconscious resorts to conversion to defend her against this hopelessness, making her insane.

           

            The main plotline involves Artemis kidnapping a fairy police officer and holding her for ransom, hoping to receive payment from the underground fairy society (in the book this is real; Artemis is completely sane). While the fairies heed to his agreement, they try several times to uproot his plans and get back Holly- the fairy he kidnapped- so they won’t have to pay the ransom. In the end, Artemis thwarts their attempts, and they finally pay him the gold he requested. Artemis understands fairy customs, and asks a favor of Holly before he lets her leave. He asks if she’ll cure his mother’s insanity, which Holly agrees to do. The next day, Mrs. Fowl wakes up completely sane, freed of her illness.

            At a first glance, it’s obvious that Holly cured Artemis’ mother. After re-examining this book with Freud’s defense mechanisms and their causes in mind, I’m not sure that’s the case. His mother went into insanity due to the loss of her husband, a leader of their family in every sense of the word. With Artemis successfully duping the fairies out of millions of dollars in gold, he has effectively established himself as the new leader of the family. He can support his mother financially and emotionally. She snaps out of her insanity, which was a result of hysteria caused by the loss of her husband, because she no longer feels the need for a leader in her life- Artemis has proved that he can fill that roll.

Mental Defenses in Inception

            In English this week we’ve been discussing Freudian psychology. In particular, we’ve looked at the parts of the mind and the ways people cope with problems. During this unit, I’ve noticed that many of the characters in the works we’ve looked at so far have used some of the defense mechanisms that we’ve looked at. Inception in particular included several characters using defense mechanisms to avoid their real problems. For instance, after coming back from limbo, Mol experiences denial when she denies that reality is real because she believes she is still in a dream. She eventually kills herself, resulting in Cobb feeling immense guilt. Cobb deals with this guilt by trying to repress his memories with Mol so he won’t have to do this anymore. He does this in a rather unorthodox way- trying to create a prison in a dream for all of the memories he shared with Mol. This doesn’t really work, as Mol still appears in his dreams and sabotages his missions. Cobb eventually gets over this through acceptance; he accepts that Mol’s mind was heavily damaged by her travels with him through the various dream levels, and as a result she was not the same when they returned to reality. Cobb did the best he could, but in the end she could not differentiate between dreams and reality, and as a result she took her own life. He accepts this, which frees his mind and rids his dreams from her presence.

            Robert Fischer in Inception also has some mental troubles that he uses defense mechanisms to hide. He has deep issues from his childhood and his father’s lack of a presence, and his lonely childhood remains a weak spot in his mind from when he was young. As they go into his mind, his subconscious tries to fight them, symbolic of how Fischer’s subconscious tried to bury his memories surrounding his father and his business. Fischer employed repression, like Cobb, to forget the troubled memories that he shared with his father. The scene where Cobb and Fischer are together in the bathroom and Cobb is trying to get Fischer to remember one dream level above is symbolic of how Cobb is trying to get Fischer to remember his childhood memories involving his father. At the end, Fischer comes to terms with his father’s poor parenting, and turns to mercy; feeling bad for his father’s inability to feel for other people.

Inception and Modernism

            In English this week we have been watching Inception and looking at how it embodies many modernist attributes. For starters, the dreams they are in feature persepectivism, for the architect puts their own spin on the dream world they build. Also, all of the dreamers who share the dream bring their subconscious into the dream through their projections. In Cobb’s case, Mol hangs heavy on his subconscious, and as a result she comes into any dream that he is a part of. In the dreams, Mol tries to ruin everything, which is symbolic of her role in Cobb’s life in the real world; she ruins everything by killing herself and blaming Cobb for it. Not only does this take herself from Cobb, it also makes it so Cobb cannot stay with their kids.

            Disillusionment also plays a large role throughout the film. When a dreamer who is not well-versed in the dream world is told that they are in a dream, the dream begins to collapse in on itself. This is an epiphany for them, when the wonderful dream world around them comes crumbling down, with them crashing back to reality where they cannot surpass regular human limitations. Also, when someone wakes up from limbo, they can experience disillusionment. The real world is a disappointment for them after having uncontrolled power and giving it up to return to reality. The realization that reality is not as great after an epiphany (realization that dream world can be much better) is a key theme of modernism, and is a major plot point in the film Inception. This link, among others, is why Inception is such a great example of a piece that embodies modernism.

Summer Reading

            This past week in English class we looked over our summer reading books and the ideas and themes within them. We examined Tender is the Night, and compared and contrasted Nicole and Rosemary, who serve as foils to each other. Rosemary represents innocence and purity, while Nicole represents the opposite; ruined sexuality, for she was molested by her father at a young age. Rosemary’s purity is shown through her attempts of trying to get with Dick, for she never makes a strong approach. Instead, she tells him how she feels and bats her eyelids in an attempt to woo him. This does eventually work, but takes a while as Nicole has a strong hold over Dick. Nicole being “broken” in a sense gives Dick a purpose in their relationship- trying to fix her. Rosemary, on the contrary, is not “broken,” and does not need Dick’s help. This gives her much less control and persuasion over Dick, as she offers no significant challenge for him. Once Nicole recovers completely and leaves Dick for cheating on her, Dick has nowhere to go, for he has nobody he can be in a relationship with who needs his help and guidance.

            We also examined The Bell Jar, and how it reflects the life of Sylvia Plath, both events that happened before and after she published the novel. Like Esther, Sylvia attended a prestigious college and was an excellent student. The two also both suffered from depression during their life, which became overwhelming during an internship in New York City one summer. This internship created a lot of stress for them, which they were not able to cope with effectively because of their depression. They eventually tried to kill themselves, and were put into a mental hospital to help them overcome their depression. They worked through their problems at the mental institution, and were eventually released. While there, they received Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT), which was supposed to help “reset” the mind in order to cure depression. For both of them this proved mainly ineffective, and served as only an aggravation. Sylvia did fall for a man named Ted, much like how Esther fell for Buddy. After the novel was published, Ted left Sylvia for Assia Weeble, the wife in a couple who rented Sylvia and Ted’s apartment. In the end, Assia and Sylvia killed themselves, similar to how Esther and Joan attempt (with Joan succeeding) to take their own lives during the book. The Bell Jar provides interesting insight into the life of Sylvia Plath, and provides a peek into her mind and how it worked.