words

Language is like the river that travels through the city.  It gives life to the city, snaking through spots and bringing joy.  It can also ruin the city, when the tumultuous waves crash over the banks. Similarly, language can mend a problem or exacerbate it.  Recent developments in speech have seen the gradual elimination of "harmful" words that evoke ideas of "sexism, racism, and violence".   However, do these changes really change anything?  The truth is, while the words may be lying dormant, the issues still exist, regardless of whether they are spoken of or not.

filtering what we say

As Kakutani puts it, "Americans' [have] puritanical zeal for reform and [un]wavering faith in the talismanic power of words".  We act as if our words could change the world, when in reality, they are nothing less than empty words connected in sentences.  We believe that we can just sit back, change our sentences, and witness a change in society.  However, the true power in our words is, well, non-existant.  The "indirect speech" that characterizes much of our "ordinary politeness" also highlights the faults in our language-- the "fistula... [that] expos[es] us to an infectious world" (Pinker). When we open our mouths, we are releasing a stream of superficial letters that combine to form a cloud of "vagueness and innuendo" (Pinker).  This further exploits the fault in our language and the unreliability in using it as a model for social change.  In Cummins' illustration about bilingualism, he demonstrates the neccesity in a "smooth" language, rather than one that will not "ride" or translate the speaker places.  While this examines the barriers for culturally diverse students, it also shows the ultimate importance of a language that is not vague, chunky, or hidden.  Along the same lines, the unity of America can be accounted for by the "accident of our origins", or the fact that we are united under one common language (Krauthammer).  And if this language were to be stripped of its radical meanings, then so will the unity that comes with it.

when you mask words, you mask meanings and clarity

The importance of language cannot be contended with.  It is the glue that holds the nation together, that translate a thought to a communication factor, from that to a conversation.  However, we must realize that the power in words is not synonymous with a vehicle of change. If we eliminate radical words, we do not change the standing of such radical ideas in society.  Rather, we attempt to hide a problem that is, and always will be unless we take action outside of words, be present.

freedom or safety

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". The first sentence of the Declaration of Independence is one to be remembered.  These are the values that we, the US, hold to our dear hearts and use as our separation from the less democratic countries of the world.  However, the freedom outlined in these lines are not what many citizens want- instead, they want to be safe.

On a average day, an average man finds himself in many conundrums and at many crossroads.  It is only human instinct, however, to choose the road that leads to a safer life.  Often, that road is not one that guarantees the most freedom. For example, a typical internet user agrees to many policies that sacrifice his own freedom.  The terms and conditions to create an account on facebook include the condition that the user's name and other identifying information will be available to all those who see his profile.  While this seems like a horrid violation of the freedoms listed above, over 1.23 billion people have given up their freedom for such "safety". This safety is not the typical physical safety that often comes to mind, but rather "social safety". The idea that having a social media page will increase a person's value in society and therefore their safety in modern technology.

H. L. Mencken once said, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” In modern society, the idea of being safe socially may have been kept, but in the process, freedom has been sacrificed. 

Asian Education

"I hate how asians have to be perfect to get into a decent college"

-a somewhat abbreviated version of a paragraph rant by an anonymous submitter

The popular Troy High Confessions page on Facebook has been under fire lately with idea of "actually living" during your high school life and "trying hard now so you can be happy later in life". This goes back to the whole idea of education and what you are really learning. In Indian Education by Sherman Alexie, he not only chronologically shows his education, but he is also shows the things he learns from society. He learns that discrimination is a real threat, that you have to try and put in effort to release yourself from the constraints of stereotypes, and that it is possible to move forward in life. 

taking initiative to be different

Unfortunately, many students nowadays find this idea hard to believe.  Just by looking at the results of the anonymous survey today, it is apparent that many, many people still do not feel comfortable in their ethnicity. Minority races do not feel equal to caucasians, through their treatment and their expectations. Going back to the quote from the confessions page, it is noteworthy that Asians have such high expectations and reap little in return. If two people of different races put in the same effort, same time, and same energy into a task and generate the same results, should one person really be rewarded more for the same efforts? 

the same, but different

America prides itself in giving everyone equal opportunities and being a "free country", but are we truly free when over 150 million people feel underrewarded for their efforts? The idea of equality can be genuine on the text of the Constitution, but when words are put into actions, things don't always translate smoothly. 

here's some tea for your refreshment...

We are in the midst of a political turmoil.  With the results of the primaries coming out soon, and little to be desired in the candidates, with the dire situation of the Flint water, with the newest relations with our biggest rival, with the new appointed Supreme Court Justice, America is undergoing vast changes. On the outside, our democracy seems the same equitable system as always-however, there's so many problems that if it were not for our stable system, would have destroyed our country already.

Source: politicalcartoons.com; Artist: Dave Granlund

Nothing is more appropriate for this blog post than a cartoon about the Flint situation, right? A event that has gained a national attention and aid from many helpful communities that could have easily been prevented if not for a sneaky cover-up by the governor-- now that's a good topic! In the midst of all the hate against the government and pity for the Flint residents, Granlund is able to satirize the guiltiness of Governor Snyder himself. The setting of the cartoon is before congress, bringing the whole idea a sense of ethos.  The conveniently yellow water besides is a sign of hospitality- or is it? His question frames his guiltiness: he knows that if the water is truly from Flint, he cannot drink it for it is poisonous.  Yet if he will not drink the water himself (highlighted by the sweat from his collar) then why would he let his own citizens drink it? The painful irony fully exploits the faults in the governor's actions and the preventability of the crisis.

Going too far?

There has always been a fine line between knowledge and innocence- or is there?
This week's discussion of the limitations and expansion of science reminded me of our frequent discussion of knowledge and innocence in past English classes- is knowledge power or is ignorance bliss?

the opposite lanes 

The obvious truth is you cannot have both- you cannot be educated yet be not be educated.  If that is the case, then where is the line drawn? The endless possibilities of science and technology stretch from finding the cure to cancer in "the spontaneously radiant radium" to replacing genes in "tobacco plants with... purloined genes". These include the "best and worst of our quest for knowledge".  The idea of choosing innocence over knowledge in the Measure of Restraint highlights the moral implications of going too far in science.  It may be okay to examine the leaves of tobacco plants, but the idea of "forever altering" the genetics of these plants has long lasting effects that extend beyond a single science experiment. If we keep on looking for the cure to cancer, will we eventually come to a spot where we must decide between risking lives to find the cure or staying on our path of ignorance? This decision might've already been put to test with the Curies' found radium.  When "properly used [it is] an effective treatment for cancer", but when it's used "craz[idly]", it "takes it's toll".

A eternal change.

So I am back to my original question that, from the humble origins in 6th grade english, still has not been answered.  Raymo brings up the true perils of going too far in the quest for knowledge, but the multitude of dying cancer patients show the true perils of not going too far.

Gandhi, Janet, and a short PSA

PSA: Reading Videotape at 2AM is not recommended.

So if you thought that Videotape was going to be a light read like me, and decided to venture upon it at night, you would have found it is no haiku.  Hereafter today, I believe everyone will stop procrastinating when they read.  The rhetoric throughout the piece is extremely shocking, as it uses a innocent child to convey its idea. The child "videotaping" the entire scene adds a sense of innocence to the piece; the fragmented sentences later in the piece reflect the fragmenting nature of the encounter for everyone involved, but especially the child. Throughout the piece, DeLillo rarely gives any of the characters names, leaving their identities to be very vague, showing that this incident could happen to every, even you. Some say giving the wife a name- Janet- is like the rest of the characters are hot for humility, but I disagree.  I think adding a name for her adds to the verisimilitude throughout the piece- it also shows how you tend to show family tragedies to highlight the idea of the "shortness of life". This idea of family goes along with Gandhi's idea of peacefully protesting- after all, you wouldn't want to lose family over violence that could be avoided peace, now would you?

I didn't want a picture of a murderer at 2am, so here's an accurate depiction of me trying to write a puzzle paragraph

I will admit that some of the words from the puzzle paragraph were quite awkward and forced. However, it was interesting to have several words to incorporate since it gave me a path to write my blog (rather than have me stare a blank screen for 2 hours).

The Olive

Tired Student Fustrated in Self for Already Sleeping

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY--  Pressured to stop the coffee machine and proceed to her bed at 1AM in the morning, tired student Nathan Greene was said to be extremely frustrated in himself for already going to bed. "Usually I have to drink at least three cups of coffee and two cans of Red Bull, and stay up until 4AM, but this... this is embarrassing", said a gloomy Greene, who eventually finished brushing his teeth in disbelief. "It's hard to comprehend, but I'm actually tired.  God, I'm better than this. I can't be going to sleep when all my friends are still up watching Netflix.  Where's the swaggness in that?" A disoriented Greene was later seen getting up in the middle of the night to take a snapchat of himself studying to send to his friends.

Student Working Out at Gym as if it were Prom Tomorrow 

GEORGIA-- Tightly clutching her newly bought gym clothes and shoes, Cassidy Gerald breathed heavily as she finished her last set in the gym, confirmed sources last Thursday. "I need to look thinner by tomorrow-- I promise" whispered Gerald, as she jumped 5 millimeters above ground to make sure she could see her newly formed muscles bulging in the side mirror and silver flash of the Nike sign on her sports bra. "Don't worry, these flabs will be abs in no time". At press time, Gerald was petrified to realize she had been looking at someone else's body the whole time.