watch becky rant

Oct 4

“I am not a witch.”

Sure, you aren’t. Ok, so clearly accusations that Christine O’Donnell is a witch is extreme and let’s be honest, not based on a lot of fact. I think what’s most important about this whole issue is what we, as the public, are interested in when we think about candidates. If we were to all judge candidates based off dumb stuff they did when they were young or even when they were old it would be impossible to ever elect anyone. No one’s perfect after all. For instance, Bill Clinton famously had an affair with Monica Lewinsky and even was impeached because of it. Was he really deserving of this though? I really don’t know enough about the scandal to say one way or another but it’s an important thing to think about. MLK also was challenged of committing adultery and being a “womanizer” but for a lot of the public they didn’t seem to mind.

What I get out of this witch situation with O’Donnell is that the public takes seriously whatever they can that will hurt the people they already don’t like. I mean, we do this with pretty much everyone we don’t like. I think what’s really important to remember in a case like Christine O’Donnell is that we shouldn’t just blindly hate someone because they are a Republican or a Tea Partier but if we are going to hate someone, it should be for bad ideas and policies. Now when she says things like she does in the video below posted that Obama is bad because he cut spending on missile defense, or that she will never vote to increase taxes, that worries me. These are the kinds of things we should focus on when deciding who to vote for.

I suppose this witch scenario ties in very nicely with our final project and the whole concept of propaganda. In one of the websites Doug gave us to learn about advertising techniques one of the first types of propaganda is name-calling. Although “witch” is not listed in the common bad names to be referred to, it most certainly could in reference to this situation. The site restates my sentiment I mentioned earlier that people will focus on this rather than real information about O’Donnell. The Site reads, “The propagandist who uses this technique hopes that the audience will reject the person or the idea on the basis of the negative symbol, instead of looking at the available evidence.” This seems extremely relevant and fits into this whole controversy perfectly.

Although I have to give O’Donnell some amount of leeway because she was young when the whole witch thing happened, that does not mean I am letting her off the hook. I still can’t get over all the other dumb things she has said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-npEhuweIyA&feature=channel

video states opinion on Obama/taxes

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/odonnell-ad-confronts-reports-on-her-past/?hp

I am not a witch video

http://www.propagandacritic.com/articles/ct.wg.name.html

propaganda “name calling” website

The Color of Chaos: The Politics of the Food Pyramid

color-of-chaos:

As Americans, we are pretty much known for being fat due to Big Mac obsessions, and this has become somewhat of a joke. Sadly, though, this joke is based on the truth. Most Americans are obese, and at high risk for high blood pressure and diabetes, among other ailments that may come with obesity….

I’ve always found the food pyramid slightly strange. I remember growing up and the food pyramid looked like this:

I wasn’t really a huge fan of this whole concept because of how random and unhealthy the servings seemed for each of these categories. Like, seriously, 11 servings of the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group? I don’t think i eat more than 4 servings of any of these categories in a day, so how was I supposed to get 11? But like you said, the food pyramid is re-evaluated every few years to make changes to problems, like this 11 servings nonsense.

I suppose the current pyramid is slightly better than the one I grew up with:

Still, though, it’s pretty confusing. I’m glad they got rid of the ridiculous serving sizes but at the same time, this kind of makes no sense. How am I supposed to tell how much exactly I am supposed to be getting of vegetables if it is just a non-descript sliver in a pyramid. If their suggestions are so vague that they don’t even use numbers, than why bother having a food pyramid at all.

Although I suppose a visual might be an easy way to try and explain to kids and slightly naive people what is healthy for them, this just seems, wrong. Perhaps this might be just as ineffective but maybe words are a good way to go. I feel like the USDA is holding on to this concept so much that they are sort of losing track of what it is supposed to do, educate people. I don’t have anywhere near a definite solution to this food pyramid question, but I definitely am glad that they are always re-working this image and trying to make it as effective as possible. I now await the release of their next food pyramid.

Oct 3

Snackirama-amarikcans: Childhood Brain Race

snackirama-amarikcans:

Before 1998, kindergarten focused on early childhood development and growth. Kids learned socialization skills through playing imaginary games, making art, playing with toys, singing, and dancing. Classroom lessons were simple and hands-on. Testing is constantly becoming stricter and more…

My first reaction to this attitude towards educating children is a little scene I once saw in the television show, “Daria”. Daria’s family goes to visit family friends who have a young daughter, probably one or two years old. The daughter goes up to Daria’s mom and asks her to read to her. The mom takes the book and says, “What is she reading now?” The cover of the book says “My first SAT study guide”. I found this scene funny but also terrifying. I have heard a lot about parents who start training their kids to be little geniuses from a very young age.

This is particularly strange for me because I loved my childhood and I think a large part of that had to do with the fact that school was fun and not particularly stressful. If we start forcing kids to learn just to take tests then we are denying them their entire childhood. I know when I first started getting stressed out from middle school it was hard to deal with but I was growing up and I had to learn to become more independent anyway. It was probably a good time in my life to have added responsibility. However, I think if i was being pressured to do difficult work in school when I was in elementary school I would not have been able to handle it.

Although I definitely think the public schools in the United States need to be changed I don’t think this is an appropriate response. If kids become so overwhelmed with work when they are so young I don’t think they will learn how to deal with stress and challenges. Kindergarteners don’t read the newspaper or analyze french films for a reason, they’re just not ready. I would definitely want to keep it this way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxKLUJXWO-4

Daria episode I was referring to. Skip to about 1:52

rally to just get away from all the crazy

It seems as some sort of peace is coming back to demonstrators in America. After having to listen to stories and read accounts of tea party rallies throughout the mod I was starting to worry. Do democrats care about anything? For a while, it seemed like they really didn’t. Although I disagree with many of the Tea Partiers views it seems like they have done one thing very well, gaining popularity and followers. It makes sense that they have become pretty powerful, they are angry and rallying and are out in the media’s eyes. Throughout the rise of the Tea Party the democrats, liberals, progressives, whatever you want to call them seem to have been just watching this whole thing unfold. Although many or most democrats can agree that the Tea Party seems extreme and ridiculous no opposition seemed to be created.

Because of this general apathetic feeling I view the democrats having I was very excited to hear that a rally was held on October 2 in D.C. to help energize their own followers with ideas that they support. Groups at this rally included union members, environmentalists, peace activists. The rally was sponsored similarly by liberal groups like the N.A.A.C.P. and the A.F.L.-C.I.O. The rally was called “One Nation Working Together”. Overall, the event seemed to to address the one problem that I have had with most democrats, get them excited to vote and get them excited to know what the issues are and how they should vote. The coordinator of the march, Rev. Leah Daughtry commented on the goals of the march, “We want to help make sure there is an energized and educated electorate”. I believe no matter how much you may hate the Tea Party and think they are crazy if you are ignorant about what you’re own beliefs even are, it is difficult for people to believe you. Perhaps that is why the Tea Party tends to come off as nonsensical. Although they have ideas they tend to become contradictory or not based off facts. For these reasons I think it’s wonderful that leading democratic groups are trying to educate other liberals.

Somewhat related for me when I heard about this rally is the “Rally to Restore Sanity” created by Daily Show host, Jon Stewart. Yes, this rally is more of a joke and response to Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally than educating people, but perhaps if is successful it could do just that. Similarly how I discussed the Stephen Colbert address to congress about immigration bringing awareness to a subject through jokes, this rally could do just that. Either way, I don’t really care how people become educated. If is through a serious event regarding ways to change and fix our country, then great. If it is an event related to a fake news show then wonderful. As long as the point gets across, why not have some fun?

Oct 2

Justice Punch: Google read this first

peterblogz4doug:

There are a number of reasons to have a dislike for many huge corporations. Often times just there size is a drain on other smaller less efficient companies. Some cause poor working conditions and deaths in other countries with external costs. However one of the most directly and personally…

Although I understand how this is initially very creepy, I think people need to remember that the internet isn’t a right that we were all given when this country was founded. The internet is a strange place, although the government shouldn’t have access to your personal information, files, searches, etc. people, in my opinion, should still always be careful about what they write online. Yeah, it would be great to know you are always safe online, but that’s just pretty naive. As much as we all might hate it sometimes the simple solution is don’t put it online and the government won’t see it.

I mean, the whole point of the internet is so you can find stuff about anything and anyone at all times. If people are really so scared about their information then just don’t put it online. Especially with websites like facebook where people have to sign an agreement, where I’m sure it says something along the lines of “you give up all your rights to anything you publish on this website, we can share the content..” For that, I especially think people shouldn’t be complaining. Yes, it isn’t very moral, right, or fair but you agreed to it, sometimes you just have to live with these consequences.

I also think a really important thing to consider is that there are millions of people in the United States who use the internet and websites like google and facebook so I really don’t think everyone should be scared when they are online. Yes, you might want to avoid posting pictures of yourself drinking on facebook, if you’re applying to college, or you might not want to say “i’m gonna kill all the patriots” in your email, but other than that, I really think most people’s information is just passed right over.

So maybe big brother is watching, but in my opinion this brother isn’t very smart and he’s pretty easy to avoid.

Sep 29

let’s have windmills! but they’re ugly

Today while looking for an interesting article to write about as a break from thinking so much from the Tea Party I read an article about a small Italian town that has effectively been using wind power to produce electricity. This town in Italy decided to make renewable energy because of the extremely high prices of electricity. According to this article, “Ancient Italian Town Now Has Wind at Its Back” from the New York Times, Italy is usually not very environmentally friendly. The article reads:

“Italy is an unlikely backdrop for a renewable revolution. It has been repeatedly criticized by the European Union for failing to follow the bloc’s environmental directives. It is not on track to meet either its European Union-mandated emissions-reduction target or its commitment to get 17 percent of its total power from renewable sources by 2020, experts say.”

This windmills create so much energy, in fact these windmills make more energy then the town even needs which leads to a profit for the citizens. So if a country like Italy, who has had a lot of trouble staying green in the past can now use renewable energy successfully and even have it help its economy, what’s wrong with the United States?

I really doubt that the amount of profit or energy created by methods like windmills or solar panels could begin to cover all the energy we need or cover the costs of the energy to create a huge profit, but I definitely think taking advantage of this new technology would be a great step in the right direction. I think the first step to help lower the United States dependence on oil and natural gasses (no matter if they’re “foreign” or not) would probably be to create higher standards for the amount of energy we get from renewable sources. Europe already has these standards in place and that’s why these people are reaping all the benefits of these windmills. I know that people make a lot of money off oil so it seems doubtful that the United States will change any current regulations soon, but I really hope they do at some point.

I feel like, because the United States will most likely not enforce much change, citizens must force this change upon the government. Which of course brings me to the windmill farm outside of Cape Cod. Some people had some terrible reactions in my opinion of these windmills. They believed it was “ruining” their view. Quite honestly, I find this opinion extremely selfish and stemming from ignorance. Yes, windmills might not appeal to everyone visually but if people were to read articles like this then, I believe, like a lot of problems in the United States, perhaps they would be fixed. Or a little close to getting fixed.

I actually find them quite pretty.

Sep 28

Oh boy, political things.: The second week of September has been rough for the United States for...

ohboypoliticalthings:

The second week of September has been rough for the United States for the past nine years- there is absolutely no doubting that. People are angry, upset, grieving, and heartbroken; every year on September 11^th, the painful memories of that day in 2001 come flooding back.

We have a problem, in…

The thing that bothers me most about people’s attitudes towards anyone would could possibly look “middle-eastern” is that it completely is built out of ignorance. If these people were to enlighten themselves and learn more about Islam as a religion and learn the differences between normal Muslims and extremists we would not have to deal with all of this blatant Islamaphobia and hatred. Clearly it is understandable to be angry and hurt about what happened on 9/11 but breeding more hatred from hatred is never a good idea.

Slightly unrelated is the fact that so many people believe Obama is a Muslim. According to different polls from various sources I’ve found that either 1 in 10 or 1 in 5 people believe Obama is a Muslim. I find that disheartening because the fact that people are making his religious such an extreme topic shows that people still have a lot of hatred towards Islam in general and are very touchy when it comes to someone in power being Muslim, or even being different from them.

I really hope that soon enough people will understand what exactly Islam is as a religion and why it should not be hated. Clearly it would be extremely offensive to be acting so negatively towards Jews or Catholics, so why can’t we make it offensive to act this way towards Islam.

Although it seems like such an obvious solution I feel like it has not worked, can people just please learn their facts?

I’ve talked to a lot of people who say they get a lot or most of their news from the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. On one hand I think it’s great that people care at all about current events (sometimes it’s even hard for me to try and read any of the newspaper, you’re probably shocked right?) but on the other hand it’s not real news. It’s news that is extremely twisted to make the people in power look dumb or mock the ridiculous laws and decisions are government makes. Clearly Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are just comedians trying to make light of the sometimes horribly depressing government we all live with…..or are they?

Over the weekend I was looking at the political blogs Doug has assigned for us to read and I saw a clip with a thumbnail of Stephen Colbert. My mind was sort of drifting and I thought it might be sort of entertaining and related to the government in some way. I watched the video, and boy am I glad I did. The video was of Stephen Colbert’s message on Capitol Hill to congress regarding immigration. Just like how he does on his show he took a very conservative viewpoint playing his normal character. This however, transcended his show because he wasn’t just talking to millions of daily viewers but the government. Clearly he took the tactic that he normally takes on his show, make the opposite view sound as ridiculous as possible and then people will realize how wrong that viewpoint really is. “America’s farms are presently far too dependent on immigrant labor to pick our fruits and vegetables, now the obvious answer is for all of us to stop eating fruits and vegetables” was one of the gem lines he told congress. Clearly this is a joke, but it is also just as thought provoking as it is funny.

It seemed after watching this video that everyone in the government who shared his opinions on immigration should have supported the actions he took to draw attention to his feelings toward immigration. It did not, however, turn out to be that way. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was not exactly a fan of Colbert’s speech referring to it as “emberrassment” for Colbert and “not appropriate.” Hoyer further went on to say, “what he had to say I think was not the way it should have been said…If he had a position on the issues he should have given those issues.” I strongly disagree with this viewpoint. I think Colbert’s attitude and ridiculous speech probably made it much more attractive to people who would under normal circumstances not watch speeches like this. As I said before many people get their news solely from these comedy shows. If this weren’t a comedy, would any of these people still watch this? Would this video with the thumbnail of Stephen Colbert’s face shown up on the side of one of the blogs I was watching? Perhaps, the methods Colbert used were not the most “proper” however I do think they were very effective and appropriate because, it seems to me that is has gotten a lot of people thinking on the whole point of this video, immigration.

Sep 27

BLAH BLAH BLAH: Pro-life or Pro-cheat?

fdfz:

When Kate and I were making our Tea Party map, we found out that all the Tear Party candidates, along with Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, had surprisingly similar attitudes on issues such as abortions and gay marriage. Actually, they don’t just have similar attitudes. They take the exactly same…

I agree that it is hard to tell who in the Tea Party is actually pro-life and who is just saying that. That sentiment kind of represents how I think of the Tea Party in general. They really do seem like a group of contradictions that just say things to appeal to a large group of people who are somewhat ignored by the Democratic majority in the government right now.

I suppose it’s always possible that they simply have “traditional” or “conservative” beliefs, but it also seems possible that they are taking these viewpoints so that they can gain a lot of support from “traditional” or “conservative” Americans. Even though we are always talking about the ridiculous, and even dumb sounding stuff that the Tea Party candidates are saying, perhaps they are really the smartest people running for office as of now, because they are choosing to represent a large group of angry people who really want to enact some sort of change. If they are just taking these viewpoints for power then it is very possible they could get it, and then that angry minority won’t be a minority for very long.

Umm...Politics?: Starstruck

politicalista:

Pop culture is beginning to understand what being different means. Her name is Lady Gaga and she is seriously changing the way we think about things in ridiculous ways. Her wackiness, she says, is because she wants people to embrace their individuality. “I want to liberate them” she says. …

I definitely agree that celebrities like Lady Gaga have a large amount of power because of their positions in society. I think the problem with someone like Lady Gaga supporting something like the repeal of dadt is that because of how ridiculous and over-the-top she is in her appearance and overall demeanor she probably alienated a lot of people. I read someone on the internet commenting, “Sunday wear a meat dress, Monday be the voice of reason” (even though she wore the meat dress a week before her speech) which I thought was extremely poignant in response. Yes, she was doing something wonderful, but how are we supposed to take her seriously if she’s going around wearing Christmas dinner on her back?

Although I love how she speaking out against injustice and something she felt passionate about, I feel like because she is talking about something that people are already prejudice about, she needs to be careful how she responds to it. Although I have not heard a lot of negative responses to her speech it does seem like a reasonable assumption that some people were turned off from the speech and point entirely because they could have been offended specifically because of her music, fashion, or meat dress.

I don’t know if she should change her appearance or way she acts if she wants to enact more change in this country, but perhaps it’s just something to ponder about.