The other day, I was sitting in the hallway, laughing and chatting with my friends during a free period. I realized I had to call my mom to let her know I would be staying after school later, so I pulled out my phone and dialed without thinking twice. As I put the phone to my ear, I turned to my left and saw a teacher on hall duty glaring at me. "Are you kidding?" she hissed. "Put that away before I give you a Saturday school!" I could've been upset, I suppose, because it is my right to be able to call up my own mother! But it occurred to me then that the 'no phone call' rule was put in place at my school for a certain purpose. Not only would it be distracting for students to sit in the hallway and talk on their phones, but it could also be rude and overly casual.
As an American, I never really thought of my civil liberties as being infringed upon. America is always praised as the 'land of the free'. In school, we are not allowed to do certain things, but I realize that this is only to promote a safe school environment. I have acknowledged that, in certain situations, my liberties can be compromised.
With all this talk in AIS class of how much our liberties should be compromised during wartime, I think I see a real connection to the things I actually see in my every day life. I used to really be strongly opposed to limiting any Constitutional right, but I'm starting to see a different side. If students dressed inappropriately and said obscene things during class, I would obviously be distracted. We are not allowed to do these things because it would take away from a positive school environment. I wonder, is this the same thing we are seeing in wartime situations? I'm beginning to think the government should have the right to go against the Constitution in wartime, because, like in school, it's for our own good.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Paranoia
In AIS class this past week, I've noticed a certain human flaw constantly presenting itself. Paranoia.
In The Crucible, Danforth reasoned, when speaking of witchcraft, that since only the witch and the victim witness an act of dark magic, and the witch wouldn't turn herself in, "we must rely upon her victims" (93). This train of thought seemed pretty reasonable to me, but this relies on the goodhearted honesty of the people of this society. And in such a Christian society as was known in Salem, it would seem that nobody would lie for fear of going straight to Hell. However, in the book, even the most innocent and pure of people, such as Elizabeth Proctor, were being accused of witchcraft. The fact that only uncovering a supposed witch could take the public eye off of oneself, spun this system backwards. Suddenly, everyone was being accused, thus obviously causing widespread panic and paranoia. Seems realistic, right?
In class, we later discussed how a country declares war, and I learned that Congress finances a war and can therefore cut off finances. However, Congress doesn't often do this because they are concerned they will be accused of 'not supporting the troops'. Again, paranoia!
It is such a reasonable, human response. Throughout history, people have cowered in fear of accusations. I wonder what can stop this constant worry, which inevitably leads to rash, defensive decisions. Is a purely honest society the only thing that can save humanity from its PARANOIA? AHHH!!!
In The Crucible, Danforth reasoned, when speaking of witchcraft, that since only the witch and the victim witness an act of dark magic, and the witch wouldn't turn herself in, "we must rely upon her victims" (93). This train of thought seemed pretty reasonable to me, but this relies on the goodhearted honesty of the people of this society. And in such a Christian society as was known in Salem, it would seem that nobody would lie for fear of going straight to Hell. However, in the book, even the most innocent and pure of people, such as Elizabeth Proctor, were being accused of witchcraft. The fact that only uncovering a supposed witch could take the public eye off of oneself, spun this system backwards. Suddenly, everyone was being accused, thus obviously causing widespread panic and paranoia. Seems realistic, right?
In class, we later discussed how a country declares war, and I learned that Congress finances a war and can therefore cut off finances. However, Congress doesn't often do this because they are concerned they will be accused of 'not supporting the troops'. Again, paranoia!
It is such a reasonable, human response. Throughout history, people have cowered in fear of accusations. I wonder what can stop this constant worry, which inevitably leads to rash, defensive decisions. Is a purely honest society the only thing that can save humanity from its PARANOIA? AHHH!!!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hiding What?
Ever since the very beginning of our reading of The Crucible, I've been haunted by the way this society worked. People were constantly being accused, and even worse, these accusations were being completely listened to. It seemed that the only way to keep all suspicious eyes off you was to point your finger at someone else.
This reminds me of how things were back in my third grade years. I once told my mom that my brother ate all the Halloween candy, trying to hide my sweet tooth. A different time, I convinced one of my friends that a different friend was badmouthing her, just to cover up my own backstabbing. Accusing someone else for something always seems to be a childish way of hiding something about yourself.
This brought me back to thinking about The Crucible. With the constant accusations, I began to wonder what it could be that everyone was so eagerly trying to cover about themselves. It's now obvious that no one was really practicing dark magic or witchcraft, so it couldn't be that that they were trying to hide. What could an innocent person have to lie about?
This reminds me of how things were back in my third grade years. I once told my mom that my brother ate all the Halloween candy, trying to hide my sweet tooth. A different time, I convinced one of my friends that a different friend was badmouthing her, just to cover up my own backstabbing. Accusing someone else for something always seems to be a childish way of hiding something about yourself.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
PURE luck?
When I first heard about the Puritan system of choosing 'God's elect' based on a certain experience that we are reading about in The Crucible, it was easy for me to call it ridiculous. It seemed to me that any creative person could make up a story, and only the best liars would be invited to be 'one with God'.
So just a few days ago, I was driving along Lake Street, which, trust me, get's extremely crowded around 4 in the afternoon. Out of nowhere, a Lexus to my right swerved right into my lane, coming what must have been centimeters to hitting the front of my car, which would've caused me to veer into oncoming traffic. Startled out of my mind, I turned into a parking lot to let myself calm down. I decided that God had to have been watching over me. That was just so close!
It's not as if this was life changing enough for me to consider myself one with God, or decide to be a serious church goer, but this did make me feel a little bit more understanding for what the Puritans were saying. Perhaps when something happens that makes us feel the presence of God, we can't help but feel a little closer to Him. Could this perhaps be what they were getting at? Is it moments like these that get people to truly believe?
So just a few days ago, I was driving along Lake Street, which, trust me, get's extremely crowded around 4 in the afternoon. Out of nowhere, a Lexus to my right swerved right into my lane, coming what must have been centimeters to hitting the front of my car, which would've caused me to veer into oncoming traffic. Startled out of my mind, I turned into a parking lot to let myself calm down. I decided that God had to have been watching over me. That was just so close!
It's not as if this was life changing enough for me to consider myself one with God, or decide to be a serious church goer, but this did make me feel a little bit more understanding for what the Puritans were saying. Perhaps when something happens that makes us feel the presence of God, we can't help but feel a little closer to Him. Could this perhaps be what they were getting at? Is it moments like these that get people to truly believe?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Blog about Blogging!
See: McCandless was a man in the hole... Or maybe Cinderella?
Just skimming over my blog posts, I immediately noticed that they seem to get shorter every week. At first, I thought this was just me getting lazy... However, as I began to read, I realized that this was also actually me getting better at keeping things concise and to the point. For example, in my very first blog post, "You are what you have...?", I had an over-abundance of details and examples. Way more than I needed to make myself clear. In my most recent post, I used only one example to explain that Douglass was a big believer in God, which is a big claim to make. I can attribute this to the fact that I have gotten better at finding stronger examples. Still, if I'm really trying to compel my reader, an example shouldn't stand alone. This, I can admit, is in fact me getting a little lazy :( . In my blogging, I have to work on finding something in the middle of these two extremes so I can convince my reader without overloading them with unnecessary detail.As I continued to read, I also noticed my voice becoming a little weaker. For example, when I was reading my first post, no joke, I cracked a smile. In my earlier posts, I wasn't afraid to joke around a little with the reader and use my sarcasm. In my most recent two posts, however, I started to write more like I would write for a teacher. Perhaps this is because, as my schedule gets more crowded, I've begun to view this blog as an assignment. I've started to forget how personal and real this blog is meant to be, and rereading has certainly been a wake up call. I've been given a chance to speak in my true voice, and I should stay true to that.
However, in my defense, I've noticed that my topics become increasingly unique. Towards the beginning of the quarter, I simply blogged about what we were talking about in class. For example, when we were talking about September 11th, I blogged about my reactions to the horrible event. However, in a more recent post, I talked about how I overheard my dad's friends using what I considered an offensive word towards a black person, and how this altered my view of racism. I let what I noticed outside of the classroom lead me back to what we learned in the classroom, rather than the other way around. This, I'm proud to say, is due to my new, overly critical brain! I think this is a very significant way to grow as a blogger.
I am overall happy with the way I've grown as a blogger, and it's not because I think my writing has gotten any better. I'm happy because I now take so many things I see outside of the classroom and ask myself 'What would I say if I were to blog about this?'. Not that I would actually blog about everything I notice (sorry), but I now find myself thinking critically about things I would've never thought twice about!
Just skimming over my blog posts, I immediately noticed that they seem to get shorter every week. At first, I thought this was just me getting lazy... However, as I began to read, I realized that this was also actually me getting better at keeping things concise and to the point. For example, in my very first blog post, "You are what you have...?", I had an over-abundance of details and examples. Way more than I needed to make myself clear. In my most recent post, I used only one example to explain that Douglass was a big believer in God, which is a big claim to make. I can attribute this to the fact that I have gotten better at finding stronger examples. Still, if I'm really trying to compel my reader, an example shouldn't stand alone. This, I can admit, is in fact me getting a little lazy :( . In my blogging, I have to work on finding something in the middle of these two extremes so I can convince my reader without overloading them with unnecessary detail.As I continued to read, I also noticed my voice becoming a little weaker. For example, when I was reading my first post, no joke, I cracked a smile. In my earlier posts, I wasn't afraid to joke around a little with the reader and use my sarcasm. In my most recent two posts, however, I started to write more like I would write for a teacher. Perhaps this is because, as my schedule gets more crowded, I've begun to view this blog as an assignment. I've started to forget how personal and real this blog is meant to be, and rereading has certainly been a wake up call. I've been given a chance to speak in my true voice, and I should stay true to that.
However, in my defense, I've noticed that my topics become increasingly unique. Towards the beginning of the quarter, I simply blogged about what we were talking about in class. For example, when we were talking about September 11th, I blogged about my reactions to the horrible event. However, in a more recent post, I talked about how I overheard my dad's friends using what I considered an offensive word towards a black person, and how this altered my view of racism. I let what I noticed outside of the classroom lead me back to what we learned in the classroom, rather than the other way around. This, I'm proud to say, is due to my new, overly critical brain! I think this is a very significant way to grow as a blogger.
I am overall happy with the way I've grown as a blogger, and it's not because I think my writing has gotten any better. I'm happy because I now take so many things I see outside of the classroom and ask myself 'What would I say if I were to blog about this?'. Not that I would actually blog about everything I notice (sorry), but I now find myself thinking critically about things I would've never thought twice about!
Thank God
As we continue to read A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in AIS, our teachers have been urging us to decide whether or not we believe Frederick had as bad of a slave experience as all the other slaves. As I continued, I found it interesting that Frederick mentioned his belief in God more than once. For example, when Douglass speaks of how he was the one child chosen to go to Baltimore, he said that "This good spirit was from God, and to him I offer thanksgiving and praise." (page 19) However, even when actually suffering due to the horrible acts of slavery, Douglass not once renounces God. This leaves me with a question. How could someone that has had to endure so much suffering believe that there is a God letting all these terrible things happen?
Now, in no way am I trying to call Douglass's life a walk in the park. However, I believe that the slaves that had experienced the very worst of slavery couldn't possibly believe in a God that was letting this happen. This leads me to believe that Douglass had it a lot easier as a slave than many of the others.
Now, in no way am I trying to call Douglass's life a walk in the park. However, I believe that the slaves that had experienced the very worst of slavery couldn't possibly believe in a God that was letting this happen. This leads me to believe that Douglass had it a lot easier as a slave than many of the others.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Hold Your Tongue
Earlier this week, I was reading my assigned chapters of 'The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass', and came across an interesting thing that Douglass said. After describing how he had seen many of his fellow slaves be tricked into admitting the severity of their master, and thus getting brutally beaten or even sent away, Douglass said that 'a still tongue makes a wise head' (page 11). To me, it seems so tragic that a slave couldn't even speak their mind for fear of being beaten. Punishing someone for their honesty seems so primitive, and therefore makes sense in the unjust times of slavery.
I then began to realize, however, how that statement is still true today. I would never tell a teacher that I think their homework assignment is absurd. And if a friend showed up to school in a positively heinous outfit, I wouldn't exactly let her know.
Total honesty is a virtue that is constantly being preached, but could it be true that 'a still tongue makes a wise head', even today?
I then began to realize, however, how that statement is still true today. I would never tell a teacher that I think their homework assignment is absurd. And if a friend showed up to school in a positively heinous outfit, I wouldn't exactly let her know.
Total honesty is a virtue that is constantly being preached, but could it be true that 'a still tongue makes a wise head', even today?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Ferocious(ly talented?)
Last night, I was fortunate enough to go to the international Poland vs. US soccer game at Soldier Field. My dad had scored an invite to the skybox of one of his Polish friends from work.
To this little crowd's extreme dislike, the first goal of the game was scored against Poland by Jozy Altidore, who also happens to be the only African American on the US National team. Everyone in the room muttered in discontent, and while I didn't understand everything they said, I remember frequently hearing the word 'dziki'. It wasn't until Altidore received a yellow card later in the match for slide tackling a Polish player that I heard the word again. When I leaned over and asked my dad what it meant, he told me that dziki meant wild and savage, and it was commonly used in Poland as slang for a black person. He must've noticed my shocked expression, because he then rushed to say that this didn't always carry a negative connotation. Sometimes, he said, people would use this word to mean that a black person has unnatural and fierce talent, uncommon to what anyone was used to seeing.
But I stood unconvinced. Was it really possible that the words wild and savage could carry different meanings in different countries? Looking it up later, I found that dziki does in fact mean wild, rugged, savage, and uncivilized. However, I also found that it can mean 'natural'. So is it really possible that it was used to refer to Altidore's undeniable and uncommon talent, or did it imply that his ferocious 'instincts' gave him an unfair advantage over the other players? And could this be taken as a compliment? Or were they just being terribly racist and implying that he wasn't able to play by the rules?
To this little crowd's extreme dislike, the first goal of the game was scored against Poland by Jozy Altidore, who also happens to be the only African American on the US National team. Everyone in the room muttered in discontent, and while I didn't understand everything they said, I remember frequently hearing the word 'dziki'. It wasn't until Altidore received a yellow card later in the match for slide tackling a Polish player that I heard the word again. When I leaned over and asked my dad what it meant, he told me that dziki meant wild and savage, and it was commonly used in Poland as slang for a black person. He must've noticed my shocked expression, because he then rushed to say that this didn't always carry a negative connotation. Sometimes, he said, people would use this word to mean that a black person has unnatural and fierce talent, uncommon to what anyone was used to seeing.
But I stood unconvinced. Was it really possible that the words wild and savage could carry different meanings in different countries? Looking it up later, I found that dziki does in fact mean wild, rugged, savage, and uncivilized. However, I also found that it can mean 'natural'. So is it really possible that it was used to refer to Altidore's undeniable and uncommon talent, or did it imply that his ferocious 'instincts' gave him an unfair advantage over the other players? And could this be taken as a compliment? Or were they just being terribly racist and implying that he wasn't able to play by the rules?
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Racism
Call me stupid, but I had really begun to think that racism had ceased to be an issue in my time, maybe because I never thought I was being racist. And of course, if you ever were to ask me if I have racist friends, I would say of course not! Why would I befriend judgmental people? But in the midst of this critical thinking we have been doing in AIS, all this picking apart and scrutinizing and questioning, I decided maybe it wouldn't be too bad of an idea to take a critical look at my own beliefs.
So on the Wednesday of last week, my volleyball team and I tied up our hair and set off on a song and laughter-filled, 45 minute drive to Waukegan school. We were excited. Why? Because New Trier had a long history of absolutely crushing Waukegan, as did most teams in our conference. In fact, I'm pretty sure Waukegan has a 0-14 record so far this season. I am looking at this critically now because Waukegan has a greater percentage of African American and Latino students than any other school in the area. Was it racist of me to assume that we could easily beat them?
If I was indeed being racist, I wasn't the only one. The second we walked into the gyms, the west bleachers erupted in hollering and laughter. 'Ooh, big shot New Trier girls! Aw, cute they all have matching ribbons! I'm surprised their jerseys don't have collars!' This was coming from the group of African American boys, undoubtedly the Waukegan girl's boyfriends and fans. Undoubtedly, these stereotypes are becoming even more apparent every single day, and I am personally beginning to feel that there's nothing I or anyone can do to change the way people think.
So on the Wednesday of last week, my volleyball team and I tied up our hair and set off on a song and laughter-filled, 45 minute drive to Waukegan school. We were excited. Why? Because New Trier had a long history of absolutely crushing Waukegan, as did most teams in our conference. In fact, I'm pretty sure Waukegan has a 0-14 record so far this season. I am looking at this critically now because Waukegan has a greater percentage of African American and Latino students than any other school in the area. Was it racist of me to assume that we could easily beat them?
If I was indeed being racist, I wasn't the only one. The second we walked into the gyms, the west bleachers erupted in hollering and laughter. 'Ooh, big shot New Trier girls! Aw, cute they all have matching ribbons! I'm surprised their jerseys don't have collars!' This was coming from the group of African American boys, undoubtedly the Waukegan girl's boyfriends and fans. Undoubtedly, these stereotypes are becoming even more apparent every single day, and I am personally beginning to feel that there's nothing I or anyone can do to change the way people think.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
America, chill...
After our AIS discussion last week on how America is so centered around being on the move, and getting things done as fast as possible, I decided I'd pay attention to this for a day. It was actually unsettling how many things I noticed. As we mentioned in class, I noticed how absolutely no road I drove on twisted into more scenic territory. I then noticed how the Starbucks by my house was made into a drivethru Starbucks. Aren't people supposed to take a moment to enjoy their coffee? And what ever happened to sitting down at the coffee shop with an old friend, just to chat? I even noticed how my friend's family just recently replaced their decorated, twisty staircase for a boring straight one.
So, okay, what's wrong with just wanting to get stuff done fast? Just recently, one of my family members was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that causes panic attacks in any stressful situation, which is something that's getting harder and harder to avoid. I did a little more research and found that 40 million American adults ages 18 and older have an anxiety disorder. This is SO much more than in any other country, and I am certain it is because of all the rushing and stressing Americans do. Perhaps due to my more personal perspective, I really don't think all these statistics are okay to ignore anymore. I strongly believe it's about time that work and school hours be cut, and different values be instilled in Americans' minds. While Americans are doing more research and taking more precautions to stop the spread of physical sicknesses, these totally preventable disorders are getting completely brushed aside. They can be just as serious.
So, okay, what's wrong with just wanting to get stuff done fast? Just recently, one of my family members was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that causes panic attacks in any stressful situation, which is something that's getting harder and harder to avoid. I did a little more research and found that 40 million American adults ages 18 and older have an anxiety disorder. This is SO much more than in any other country, and I am certain it is because of all the rushing and stressing Americans do. Perhaps due to my more personal perspective, I really don't think all these statistics are okay to ignore anymore. I strongly believe it's about time that work and school hours be cut, and different values be instilled in Americans' minds. While Americans are doing more research and taking more precautions to stop the spread of physical sicknesses, these totally preventable disorders are getting completely brushed aside. They can be just as serious.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
the RIGHT thing to do
It is easy to look at September 11th and wonder, ‘What horrible person could turn a commercial airplane into an enormous missile?’ ‘Why would anyone want to take away so many innocent lives?’ These are fair questions. Ever since the incident, I always viewed 9/11 as caused by pure insanity.
Clearly, I still think of those terrorist as psychotic bastards (excuse my French). But just recently, a disturbing thing entered my mind: They never looked at themselves as the enemy. In their minds, they were fighting for what they believed in, which sounds an unsettling amount like what teachers and parents have been telling me to do all my life. Perhaps they were even convinced that this is what their God was telling them to do.
Now OBVIOUSLY I am in NO way justifying what they did, but I am becoming curious about where we can fairly draw the line of 'fighting for what you believe in' in other situations. If you are walking around picking up trash to fight pollution, sure that’s great. If you are fighting for your first amendment right by using profanities in the classroom, eh... Would you steal a pack of cigarettes from someone if you were passionate about saving the environment? Would you free all 13 of an old lady’s cats into the wild if you were a strong believer of animal rights? What is ‘right’? Where can we draw the line?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
McCandless was a man in the hole... Or maybe Cinderella?
Monday, September 6, 2010
You are what you have...?
So as most of you AISers know, we had to write a biography on the ‘late’ Mr. Bolos last week, using a box of his personal belongings to help us draw our conclusions. According to Mr. O’Connor, examining someone’s things can tell us a whole lot about them! The moment Doc OC ;)set that cardboard box on the table before us, my mind drifted way back to the summer before seventh grade when my friend and I decided to bury our own little time capsule that we were to dig up the summer after our senior year of high school. I thought of that day briefly as I dug into the box, but I soon forgot about it. Days later, I was staring at the notes I had taken on Mr. Bolos’s artifacts, trying to piece them into the little I knew about his life. This was basically a guessing game. A rubber mouth? He must’ve been a dentist! From that bar of ‘wash your sins away’ soap, he was clearly insanely religious… A picture of the girl’s basketball team? He must’ve loved basketball! And girls? These artifacts taught me nothing, or even took me down a completely inaccurate path. Again, I was reminded of my time capsule. Slowly at first, I began to remember what I had put inside. Several pictures of Cole Sprouse, a plastic tooth filled with a couple of my old baby teeth, a picture of my fat black cat, a list of my ten favorite things (1. hot dogs, 2. funnel cake, 3. full throttle…). If anyone were to write ‘The Life of Kasia’ based on this box of things, they would’ve deduced that I was an overweight, cat-and-pre-pubecent-boy loving weirdo that did sick things like save decaying teeth… I don’t even like that cat.
So this all brought me to the conclusion that you really can’t learn a lot about a person based on some things they have laying around. No disrespect, Mr. O’Connor, but asking us to learn about Mr. Bolos by looking at some of his things was misleading if anything. If people are what they have, then I’m just weird.
So this all brought me to the conclusion that you really can’t learn a lot about a person based on some things they have laying around. No disrespect, Mr. O’Connor, but asking us to learn about Mr. Bolos by looking at some of his things was misleading if anything. If people are what they have, then I’m just weird.
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