race

ahh my last blog =[. so.... race. it is my understanding that there is absolutely no biological difference between myself and a person of color. because of this, i find it odd that people feel superior/inferior to others. i mean if there is truly no difference, then how can you decide who is better than someone else? truly, we are all the same color on the inside. we all have the same human needs. and we certainly have no right to say who is inferior to who. i'm going to walk away from this class trying to change peoples perspectives on this topic. before this class my idea of race was wayyy off. i'm glad i got that straightened out.

losing my identity

I hate how society has put numbers with names. It makes me feel like i am not Aubrie wnek, no, im id# 25472. i mean, is this really necessary?? i understand the point of having an id number, but its like stevenson doesn't even put faces to these numbers. when a security guard gets you in trouble the first thing that comes out of their mouths is "whats your id number". i mean, what is this, prison?? not only that, but society all around me has labeled me by a number. i just got my act back. when i apply, im not going to be aubrie wnek, im going to be a transcript and an act score. how is that, in any way, an honestly good interpretation of who i am? how does a school know that i am not some creepjob genius?? i mean hitler was a genius, but i DEFINITELY wouldnt want him going to my college. but how would they know? all they see is numbers.

yeahhh....

ummm so basically i feel like i apparently have huge shoes to fill after my last blog??? i dont really have anything interesting really, no mental breakdowns recently which is good news for me, i was freaking the fff out that whole day of my last blog. i've been tryin to live my life like normal but i still really dont see the point to everything. I guess the only sociological thing on my mind lately is im beginning to realize how lucky we have it in this area. not economically speaking but i feel like i keep reading stories of people getting jumped and raped and its really scary, and i feel like that doesnt happen so much around here and i think people kind of taket aht for granted. i know i did for sure, but at the same time it puts us at a disadvantage because honestly, if im walking down the south side of chicago, im not gonna know how to defend myself if i get jumped. idk what i could possibly do, im a little white girl fromt he suburbs

whats the point

i've been doing serious thinking all day about life and why humans do what they do and i have some serious questions and am feelin pretty pessimistic about life. As most would agree, good education is the basis of making an easy living. this goes all the way back to preschool. society puts us into place at that young. it amazes me. and then we work and work and work and for what?? so i can drive a car? where am i going to drive it? TO WORK. so i can buy a home? so i can bring my kids into the same vicious circle?? i really just dont see the point. what is there REALLY to strive for in life? here i am, busting my ass at stevenson so i can get into college and eventually get a good job and have kids grow old and then what... die? there are some people who work until they are well into their 70s. i dont see the fulfillment in that at all. i guess i've just really began to feel like theres no point to living? im not saying that on a suicidal note, just on a sociological one i suppose

jails in america

After watching 30 days, i really am concerned with the penal system in america. I understand that the three strikes law is in effect and that there are a ton of people in jail who really actually belong to be there, but after watching the show i felt like there was also a large amount of people who belonged somewhere else who could help them recover from drug problems or get over mental issues. But why isnt this problem being addressed? i think the guys name was randy, the crazy one, he really belonged in a mental hospital and travis belonged in rehab. Neither of them belonged in jail. At the same time, jail was the only time that travis was really level headed, he left jail and started using right away and was arrested right after, so maybe jail is kind of a refuge for drug users?

legalization of marijuana

Speaking of taboos, talking about the good side of marijuana is definitely a taboo of our society. I do not go against it but at the same time I feel like there is no way to talk about it without being accused of doing it. I know a lot of people who smoke weed and i have done a lot of research about the topic. In reality, it is a hell of a lot better for you than drinking and the numbers prove it. While there are thousands of people who die from alcohol poisoning each year, there has been 0 overdoses on marijuana EVER. the drug, in my opinion, is a safe alternative to drinking. Kids no matter what are going to want to explore their state of mind and explore into drugs, and personally i think marijuana is a safe way for teens to do that. One thing i hate though is how if anyone posted this blog, they would be called a pothead. Is it possible for people to advocate something without actually doing it? I think so.

bowling for columbine

Yes, bowling for columbine definitely raises some necessary questions but it is just so hard for me to see past Michael Moore and i feel like i really can't trust anything the movie tells me. I realize that most of it is true, but i feel like he is just so manipulative. when he is talking to the head of the NRA, of course he makes him look like a horrible person after he interrogated him and made him look like an asshole. if i was him i would walk away from michael moore too, and moore knew exactly the reaction he would get. he used Kayla more as a manipulation tactic to make the guy look like a monster than bringing up issues.

more responses to tuesdays with morrie..

i think to an extent americans are afraid of death. there certainly is a taboo of it, you are never supposed to talk abotu death to a person who is really dying and such but at the same time death is shown in horror and action movies and no one really thinks about it. maybe it is thrown around so much in the movies and media that when death actually occurs its kind of a shock that it could actually happen close to home. im not saying that death wouldnt be a shock without this but the idea of one of my close friends and family dying is just so unimaginable for me at least. but in reality, life is precious and anything could happen at anytime. people need to start really living life, there is too much worrying and emphasis on what we as teens should be doing with our time, i say screw that. i am going to live my life the way it should be lived and i am letting no one hold me back.

in response to tuesdays with morrie

LoveDo you think that Americans are afraid to love each other, or show that they love each other? If we are afraid to love, why might that be? How can we overcome this? What is the difference between the value of “romantic love” presented in your textbook and real love - the love Morrie talks about?

i defffffffinitely do not think Americans are afraid to love each other. in fact, i think over the past years americans have lost the meaning of love. divorce rates are soaring, people are getting married drunk in vegas, marriage is just not a big deal anymore. its sad because people dont even realize it. i hate when teenagers say they are in love after dating a guy/girl for three months. its ridiculous, beingin love means that you are willing to give up EVERYTHING for the person, spend the rest of your life with them, remain loyal to them and die for them. its just not a smart thing to say when you are still in high school. not only this but the term is thrown around so much it has lost its meaning. i'm not saying its bad to say i love you to your friends and family, but it is used in way too many contexts.

deciding whats normal

In class we've been talking a lot about how what one culture deems "normal" another may deem insulting. My question is how does this decided norm become? I mean it seems like in America what we decide is normal is actually pretty unattainable, so why do we set these strange goals for ourselves? I mean is there even a true definition as to what is normal??

prescription abuse

Prescription pill abuse is definitely on the rise in America. Teens have stopped using the "norm" of alcohol and weed and started turning towards Xanex and such. It is really harmful stuff, people don't realize that taking prescription pills when you aren't prescribed them is truly almost more harmful that smoking weed. As many know, one of my friends Matt Twarowski iscurrently in a coma because of this. Honestly, his story better damn well change the way people act around here. It really bothers me how kids take their lives for granted.

my views on odyssey

The past two days have been a cultural blur for me. Of course, every student likes Odyssey more than their everyday classes but sometimes i can't help but feel like some of the classes are just so ridiculous. Last odyssey i got stuck in dancing wheelchairs. Now i have nothing against the disabled, but it wasn't even people dancing in wheelchairs. It was one handicapped lady and two normal dancers. What is the point of that? There are always those certain classes that everyone fights over to get into, for example this year it was cake decorating. I feel like the only classes that end up being beneficial are those that dip into arts that we haven't been exposed to as well as the ones that we actually all really want to take. It's hard to sit through an hour of something your just really not into. It just ends up making me want to fall asleep the whole time. On the other hand, there are some classes that sound really lame but end up being pretty interesting. For example, this year i somehow ended up in The Art of Alfred Hitchcock, now i know that's random as hell, that's what i said when i first looked at it, but going into the class it was really interesting to hear how much more there really was behind his movies. I had no idea the amount of planning and thought were behind his movies. He spends up to a year just planning one movie, he sits down with (i dont remember the name of the job) but the person who draws the story board and they figure out EVERY shot. That's crazy. He had an idea of how he wanted everything to be done in his films, and if someone didn't agree, it was his way or the highway. I've never even seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie and i was able to appreciate this. Odyssey is a good way to expose people to different things you would never even think twice about, but half the time you get stuck in so many bs classes that its kind of pointless.

survival of the fittest

It is human nature to strive for survival, even under the most extreme conditions. So who are we to judge people who resorted to cannibalism in order to survive? Sure, at first reaction everyone says, "I would never do that, i'd rather die" but when it comes down to it, i have never heard of anyone who actually chose to die over survival. Take the Donner party ( it might be not be Donner, i don't really know, i'm guessin though) for example, during the pioneer era they got lost on the oregon trail and had to resort to cannibalism. This type of survival skill is ageless. But is there some sick enjoyment out of cannibalism? In the article we read, it started to sound like the survivors were almost enjoying the devouring of other people by the end, they were talking about the flavor of the marrow.... that's pushing it. Even in horror films such as Texas chainsaw massacre, the idea of enjoyment of cannibalism is present. Sure, hollywood always blows things out of proportion to make us cringe, but i feel like there might really be some psychological thing behind it. After all, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is based off a true story. It's one of those things that you sit back and think, "who the hell would do that..." As middle to upclass students living in a wealthy area, sheltered by our parents as well as most of the older generation in the area, there is a 99.9% chance that none of us will never have to be in any situation. but given the .1% chance, i think people's opinion of cannibalism would change. Personally, if it really came down to it, i think i would go ahead and resort to cannibalism. When there is no choice but to take extreme measures, then survival of the fittest comes into play.

The awkwardness of slience

Yes, i feel people are uncomfortable with silence, growing up in a society that always needs a new form of entertainment it is like we can't sit still in silence for more than 30 seconds before we explode. The silence is uncomfortablt because we aren't used to it. I am not uncomfortable with silence as long as i know the person. In Pulp Fiction, one of my favorite scenes is when Uma Thurman is talking to John Travolta about silence and she says "Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to feel comfortable? That's when you know you've found somebody really special -- when you can just shut up for a minute, comfortably share a silence." Thats what i always think about when people talk about awkward silences, how you know your close with someone, not necessarily in love but when you can just chill and be yourself, in silence if necessary. People do talk to much to simply fill the air, we always feel the need to make "small talk" with people who we don't know or have nothing in common with. I don't wish people would spend more time listening, I wish people could find an even balance between listening and talking. In America, i dont think we yearn for peace and quiet, we live in a bustling, efficiency crazed society, where time is money and there aren't enough hours in the day. Americans don't have time for "peace and quiet". I have experienced an awkward silence, first day of sociology, representin. People need to be able to calm down and enjoy silence with another person, there are moments when nothing needs to be said and i'm a firm believer that sometimes silence is golden.

Me on blogging

I'mnot sure how i feel about blogging, I had a xanga when I was in middle school but i really honestly just used it to complain about how my world was falling apart because of some little thing that really didn't make a difference. It kind of creeps me out that everyone can read what i'm writing but I am willing to give it a shot!!