Our Identity. Our Values. Our...Cowboys? Yippie Ki-Yay!

Too often are societies judged based upon the common man. They don't take the time to truly see the beauty in each way of living. Everyone is too focused on the negative. The ignorant, the poor, the selfish...no one focuses on the good. Nothing is perfect and the sooner people realize that, the happier our world will be.

Literature helps define cultural identity in a variety of ways. In some ways we can see change, in "How to Kill a Mocking Bird" we see so much prejudice! Just as much as there was back in the day as it is an accurate depiction of those dreaded years.But America has changed. Sure, prejudice is still witnessed here but it's way less than just a few decades ago. Literature also helps relate to America now! In "The Scarlet Letter" we see a woman who committed acts of adultery and how society reacted to her actions. While today there are many more men and women alike committing those same crimes today, they are still treated pretty poorly. Our values in society have changed so much. We've came so far! People of every skin in almost every work place, less unemployment and brighter faces all around.

Not all values have changed for the better though. Sometimes we let technology take us over and run us into the hole of despair! If one is too into catching his favorite T.V. show than to do his homework...that's a problem. Kids and adults alike had their priorities straight way back when. Now priorities are "tweeting" about who Taylor Swift is dating today and "instagramming" what we had for dinner.

In 1992 the first touchscreen phones were made. Thus inventing a canvas for improvement and glory...but has anyone taken it into consideration that maybe we should focus on things such as budget cuts in schools or helping feed the homeless? I guess not...oh well. I guess I'll grab my phone and tweet about my troubles rather than call and donate to a charity or make a useful suggestion to the mayor or volunteer for a clothes drive. Ya know, cause that's how us 'Muricans do thangs!!!

Ah yes, the cowboy. The tough as nails, horse ridin', king of the wild, wild, west! Who doesn't love a good, genuine, hard working man who sticks up for the underdogs? We love to use the cowboy as a symbol of leadership and courage! Whether it be the shoot out at high noon or saving little Timmy from falling down the well, you'd best believe the cowboy will saddle up, swallow his pride, and make a memorable appearance!

Commenting...5% Intelligent...95% Foolishness

After reading an article over life in North Korea, I browsed the comments. The columnist, Olaf Schuelke, explains that the people of North Korea live joyful lives just like us. Even though they're under a different kind of leadership and even though it may seem immoral to us, they eat at restaurants, go to parks, spend time with their families, and are perfectly happy under the standards they're given...so what's there to judge? Well, let's see...

"It makes me wonder what their crime rate is and whether there are gangs, mafia, triads, etc."
"I have no doubt there are good people in North Korea, but they obviously have bad leaders and bad government all the same."

These are two of the comments I found that actually contributed to the article and spiked intellectual conversation. What I find sad is that it took me about 10 minutes to find these and about 5 other decent comments. These quotes are thought out, and for the most part, grammatically accurate! They show interest and polite opinion, no insults were thrown and their language isn't flooding with swear words. The people who wrote comments like these often went by their first name or their full name. I'd imagine that they're very rational people and like to debate rather than argue.

"Ever wondered why the Kim Jong family is getting uglier across the years. Grand-dad was not too bad looking, son became uglier, grand-son the worst looking. Fearful to imagine how Kim Jong-Un's son will look like ! Must be some sort of degenerative mutation due to radiation from nuclear activities!"
"You're an ign0rant fo0l."
"Any civilization that eats dogs is doomed."

And then there are these people...*sigh*...where to begin? Well, they're rude and have bad grammar, but that's a given. These comments are often found in replies to the intellectual ones, which is a shame because it just throws everyone off topic. The people that make these comments often use fake screen names and have discriminating icons (one had the Iluminati sign, what the heck!?) These comments just FLOOD the article and strains it of it's worth.

Overall, if you hunt down the good comments, you'll gain some food for thought, but if you don't want to hunt for 10 minutes...well, then just skedaddle from the comment box all together. The articles are great, but the people taking the time to comment...not so much...

Brutus...that poor soul!

In, "Julius Caesar" Marcus Brutus is the prime example of a good person. He always tries his best, does what he can for people, and is always thinking, but with great personality comes a flaw or two. Poor, innocent Brutus. Brutus' innocence is ultimately his main problem. Because he trusts that everyone is an honorable man, he is often fooled and misguided into his own failure. 

"The trust of the innocent is the liar's most useful tool" ~ Stephen King

As displeasing as it is, the flaws of Brutus are still an issue to many people at this day in age. Oh! The honorable misfortune it is to be a part of the minority in a crowd of jealous simpletons. Being of the right-minded population isn't all it's cracked up to be if you're wanting to believe that everyone is as great as they say they are. A curse it is to have the heart of an angel and the ambition of a lighted candle in a wind storm.

The problem with these select few is that they often have to learn things the hard way. They are blinded by their innocence in such a way that they don't realize their wrongs until it's too late. Brutus was convinced by Cassius that killing Caesar was the right thing to do because he would become a tyrant. Brutus reflected on his morals and agreed to go after Caesar. Brutus was doing it for the good of Rome while Cassius was doing it merely to climb up the social ladder. Later, after the killing, Brutus had lost a friend. A real friend. Oh, the irony.

What comes to mind when I think of trust at this time period is marriage and divorce. If two kind souls marry each other they must have trust in one another. Either one of the spouses is worried that the other is breaking their vows and wants a divorce, or they know the other is being untruthful and insists on getting stepped on because they want to believe that it isn't happening. Marriage should be a giving relation, but it often only ends in bruises and loss of purity. And just like Brutus, you either end up losing a real friend like Caesar or gaining a fake one like Cassius.

In conclusion, our innocence is beautiful, but can cause major problems in terms of trust and friendship. We shouldn't let our hearts think for us; that's what our brains are for.

Bullying.

Bullying is quite the issue in life today. Through multiple efforts to stop it, it's still a problem.

~ Kathy Saunders shares her view on bullying on, myfoxdfw.com. She states that 1 in 3 students are bullied and that 15% to 25% of kids are FREQUENTLY bullied! She is definitely against the bully. She supports her view with facts like,

"

• The mistreatment must be intentional.

• The mistreatment must be hurtful (physical or psychological).

• The mistreatment is threatening. The individual fears harms. Fear their safety.

• The mistreatment must occur more than once. However, some disagree with this. They say one very hurtful event is enough to label it bullying.

• There must be a power imbalance."

Being bullied can make you feel alone, isolated, miserable, scared, sad, small, worthless, unloved, and stupid. Let's stop bullying NOW!"

**http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/17481725/my-view-bullying


~This website, library.thinkquest.org, also gives off a vibe that bullying is very bad in schools. It makes them feel multiple emotions ranging from very depressed to very malicious. Also very against the bully.

~ "You can find bullies at any age, but most bullying occurs is in middle school.  Bullies can be boys or girls, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Most of the time they are having problems in school or at home or have been bullied themselves. Unfortunately, some people only feel better if they put others down."

**library.thinkquest.org

~ In another article, aeisenbe, shows consideration for the bully. She likes hearing their side of the story and wants to HELP the bully instead of bashing them.


"I really appreciate reading about the “other side” and am very interested to hear from current and former bullies as to what they are and were thinking when they were bullying kids."
 I honestly agree with this opinion because if we don't help the bully they'll just bully more!


**http://bullyinglte.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/the-bullys-side-of-the-story/ 

~ This site expresses a mix of all 3 of the above. It expresses the hurt the bully's prey experiences and it expresses why and how the bullies terrorize their victims.

**http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/ethos/bullying-and-the-abuse-of-power/project-archives/1st/session-6-reflections-on-the-source-of-bullying/



~ Introduction ~ Through verbal and sometimes physical abuse, a person will terrorize one of their own. A bully, you say? Perhaps. Maybe they're just a person being bullied...a bully being bullied. But on the other hand, maybe they just like to see the pain on their victims faces. 

~ Prompt ~ Read through the following sources carefully. In an essay that synthesizes 2 to 3 of the sources for support, pick a side on the issue of bullying and explain why it effects people around the world and how it effects them.

Issues. They're Global.

Everyone has issues, but just how many do people on Earth have in common? I'll tell you. A lot.
Many issues such as illiteracy, bullying, and individuality are known problems within the boundaries of our world.

     Illiteracy is obviously known to be a problem in 3rd world countries, but what about in the 1st world countries? Even with all of the education people are honored to be given, they're not using it. Many teens tend to shorten words and come up with new phrases such as, "Swag" and "Yolo". These phrases not only have ignorant meaning, but have no use. They're merely fads created by the general public that gain and lose popularity in time. If people would read more instead of spending time with technology, we wouldn't need fake words.

     Bullying is also a huge issue in the U.S. today. It's often caused by low self-esteem and having the desire to make ones self feel better about how they look, feel, or act. It's no joke and causes many mental scars as well as physical ones. Many teens today don't know how to handle being bullied so they go to the extremes of physically harming themselves. Some go to the point of starving their selves to be "thin", some cut themselves because they think that they deserve pain, and a few even commit suicide. Bullying needs to stop.

     Individuality is also a major problem around the world. Celebrities are often the cause of this problem due to their popularity. Many girls and boys around the globe think that they need to act or look a certain way to be cool, or should I go by their word, "Swag"? Painting oneself into someone else is never the answer. After all, "Better to be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else." People need to learn that they have their own personalities, hobbies, and tastes.

     These as well as many others are issues around the globe that could be easily fixed if given the time and effort to do so. We need to find solutions and not sit around and watch our nation drown in problems such as these.

Roger Cohen

I chose Roger Cohen because he seemed interesting! Unlike most Columnists, he had style, good word choice, and kept me interested throughout the column. Plus he's British! It's fun to see how different his writing is from American Columnists.

I liked his KONY Column the best because it really captivated the hidden meaning in the event. It was good that teens are taking action in something that matters, but it's also bad because it actually DIDN'T matter.

Editorial Cartoons and the rhetoric inside them!

This cartoon is obviously about Earth Day and the health of Earth overall!
     This cartoon is found humorous due to the fact that even though it gives off goofy vibes and looks like something that should be in a coloring book, it is true! On Earth day it seems like everyone turns into a hippie and wants to do everything in their power to help Mother Nature, but every other day they're their normal, all-business-no-play-selves! Another thing I found funny about this cartoon was that Earth was ON Earth! and that both sides of the cartoon a basically opposites(analyzing the Car to Bike, the Veggies to Superstore, and the Sunshine to Clouds.)

This cartoon is about the damage of nature!
     The humor in this cartoon is that the man's allergies are gone because ALL the trees are cut down. While cutting down trees is usually a malicious doing, this man finds a brighter effect of the situation(even though he'll probably die due to oxygen loss because there are no plants! :P) Another humorous thing in this cartoon is just how far the stumps extend into the distance/backdrop!

These cartoons both express the fact that we should car for Earth and its well-being more often through humor and exaggeration! :D