I am my paper on our generation’s obsession with popular culture that it has left us no more time for “serious” reading.
The books that we are reading have become a culture phenomenon. Harry Potter, for example, is not only a book series but also movies, video games, action figures, notebooks, costumes, board games, a theme park, even jelly beans inspired by the books. At the most recent Harry Potter book release, tens of thousands of fans waited at book stores just so they could be one the first to read the new book.
When the final book was released I was on a service trip. The nun who was in charge did not only keep us in the school and not allow us to go get the final Harry Potter book, but she also did not allow anyone’s family members drop the book off. She said she didn’t want anyone to be left out and it would be unfair if some girls were able to read and others would not. I was with some avid Harry Potter fans, and so we threw our own Harry Potter party with eye liner lightning bolt shaped scars and fake wands. This is crazy if you take it out of the context of the pop culture phenomenon that Harry Potter is.
Today in our consumer driven culture if you aren’t involved in reading these books you are not just missing out on the story from the book. You can no longer talk to others about what you thought about the book and the movie. If you are young, you cannot play wizard games with the other kids or even go to the book release parties.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Fat Tax
The biggest loser is one of my favorite TV shows. I think its inspiring and amazing how dramatically people can change their lives through just diet and exercise. Today, while I was watching a rerun they gathered students from two different high schools so that they can learn how to diet and exercise before their condition becomes extreme and causes them to have medical problems.
I think it’s obvious as a country we have a huge problem with obesity and it reminded me of a bill that was purposed a few years ago that would impose a “fat tax” on people that are overweight. I think that this is a very interesting idea. People that are overweight have more health problems so they will be charged extra on their health insurance to make up for the additional costs they will cause.
But is implementing a “fat tax” a form of discrimination? I think that it is very similar to taxes that healthcare providers put on smokers. I feel that since being overweight cause’s people more emotional distress and is more of a social stigma than smoking law makers are very sensitive to addressing it.
While I also think that family life is very important to how we learn to take care of ourselves, I don’t think that it has been working well. Childhood obesity has tripled the past two decades. In most states a taxes on cigarettes has been extremely effective. And although I don’t like the government having a control over my life, but I think that if they are doing it to save us from ourselves, then maybe it is for our own good.
I think it’s obvious as a country we have a huge problem with obesity and it reminded me of a bill that was purposed a few years ago that would impose a “fat tax” on people that are overweight. I think that this is a very interesting idea. People that are overweight have more health problems so they will be charged extra on their health insurance to make up for the additional costs they will cause.
But is implementing a “fat tax” a form of discrimination? I think that it is very similar to taxes that healthcare providers put on smokers. I feel that since being overweight cause’s people more emotional distress and is more of a social stigma than smoking law makers are very sensitive to addressing it.
While I also think that family life is very important to how we learn to take care of ourselves, I don’t think that it has been working well. Childhood obesity has tripled the past two decades. In most states a taxes on cigarettes has been extremely effective. And although I don’t like the government having a control over my life, but I think that if they are doing it to save us from ourselves, then maybe it is for our own good.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Father knows best?
Just like many teenagers, growing up I felt that my parents were dumb and had no idea what was going on with the world or in my life. Like many other fathers, my dad’s advice would be broad from my love life to how I should prepare for a career. I would simply shrug it off and never really take his advice to heart.
But when I came to college a strange thing happened to me. I realized that my father actually knew what he was talking about.
When I was younger, to kill time in car rides my father would often give me, what I thought to be, a bizarre interview question. Our favorite one was calculating how many gas stations were in Kansas. He told me to look at what I knew and then from there I could estimate what the answer was. He told me that the interviewer would want to know how I think rather than arriving at the correct answer. My friends would also play this game with us and they learned the techniques behind it as well.
One day while in my dorm room I received a phone call from one of my friends who is in the business school at Georgetown University. She had just finished and interview for a business club where they asked her a question very similar to the one that my dad used to ask us to pass time. I was amazed. She told me how helpful it was to know how to answer the question and how she knew that my dad would love to know that they actually asked her a question like his.
As time went on I noticed more and more things that my father had told me that I didn’t believe but now I see that he is right. It is a strange feeling to constantly doubt someone only to be proven wrong when you’re away from them. I guess what they say is true and father really does know best.
But when I came to college a strange thing happened to me. I realized that my father actually knew what he was talking about.
When I was younger, to kill time in car rides my father would often give me, what I thought to be, a bizarre interview question. Our favorite one was calculating how many gas stations were in Kansas. He told me to look at what I knew and then from there I could estimate what the answer was. He told me that the interviewer would want to know how I think rather than arriving at the correct answer. My friends would also play this game with us and they learned the techniques behind it as well.
One day while in my dorm room I received a phone call from one of my friends who is in the business school at Georgetown University. She had just finished and interview for a business club where they asked her a question very similar to the one that my dad used to ask us to pass time. I was amazed. She told me how helpful it was to know how to answer the question and how she knew that my dad would love to know that they actually asked her a question like his.
As time went on I noticed more and more things that my father had told me that I didn’t believe but now I see that he is right. It is a strange feeling to constantly doubt someone only to be proven wrong when you’re away from them. I guess what they say is true and father really does know best.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
comment
I commented on Catherine’s blog “choices, choices and more choices.” I think this was a good blog because it’s what a lot of people on campus are going through and is very relatable.
lenten revelations
We are now officially into the Lenten season and it is now the time for fasting, alms giving and prayer. This year I decided to give up cursing and caffeine. While I thought that the caffeine would be the difficult part, it is something that you are consciously aware of breaking before you do it. Cursing, on the other hand, is something that just kind of comes out.
When I was in high school I never used to curse, but since I came to school here I cannot help myself! I don’t know if it is because others around me are doing it too so I just picked it up a lot like slang, or what happened. I have talked to a lot of people about my choice to give up cursing for lent and they agree with me that they never used to use these words until they came here too.
Are we as SMU students worse about cussing than other schools? Or is it just college students as a whole that use horrible language? I know that I need to fix my language because by the time that I get to hire and into the corporate world, language like that is not allowed. So maybe I can use this opportunity to clean up my act before it really matters. Then again, I still have three and a half years to fall back into my old habits.
When I was in high school I never used to curse, but since I came to school here I cannot help myself! I don’t know if it is because others around me are doing it too so I just picked it up a lot like slang, or what happened. I have talked to a lot of people about my choice to give up cursing for lent and they agree with me that they never used to use these words until they came here too.
Are we as SMU students worse about cussing than other schools? Or is it just college students as a whole that use horrible language? I know that I need to fix my language because by the time that I get to hire and into the corporate world, language like that is not allowed. So maybe I can use this opportunity to clean up my act before it really matters. Then again, I still have three and a half years to fall back into my old habits.
New man on campus
I was leaving my earth systems class early Tuesday Morning when I saw a many black suburbans and a mob of people in front of Fondren Life and Science Building. I immediately knew it was George Bush. I had so many thoughts running through my head on whether or not I should go speak to. I thought about if I was dressed properly, what I would say and how I would react in general. I decided that it was just not the day for me and I continued to walk to my next class. Later, I heard about how he had come to speak to a political science class and answered any questions that students had for him.
I thought this was so cool. How many college campuses have a presidential library, let alone a president walking around their campus speaking to students? Politics aside, I think that we are so lucky to have this opportunity, it’s an honor.
I am also sure that it must have been so refreshing for President Bush to have all those students around him telling him how much that they appreciate him. Especially after all of the bad press that he gets and the polls of how the youth doesn’t particularly like him. I hope that I will get to see him around campus again soon and this time be brave enough to go and speak to him.
I thought this was so cool. How many college campuses have a presidential library, let alone a president walking around their campus speaking to students? Politics aside, I think that we are so lucky to have this opportunity, it’s an honor.
I am also sure that it must have been so refreshing for President Bush to have all those students around him telling him how much that they appreciate him. Especially after all of the bad press that he gets and the polls of how the youth doesn’t particularly like him. I hope that I will get to see him around campus again soon and this time be brave enough to go and speak to him.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Organic food is better?
In the past few years I have noticed more and more people buying organic food because they believe that it’s better for you and the environment. While genetically modified food is seen as being bad or even unnatural.
If we only produce organic food we will not be able to feed the population of the earth. Genetically modified foods allow a more stable crop production through resistance to unexpected freezes, droughts and they do not attract many insects. Also, while our country tries to reduce its gas consumption the need for genetically modified corn increases. One of the leading alternate fuel options is ethanol which is produced from corn. With genetically modified corn we can produce a larger supply of ethanol with a smaller cost to the producers which in turn means a lower cost to us- the consumer.
Also since bugs are not attracted to these new crops we do not need to use harmful pesticides that have been blamed for contaminating water supplies. They also do not need as many fertilizers as other crops do which also decreases the cost of production. As you can see it’s not merely the space that is needed to be able to more efficiently feed the world, we also need it to be cost efficient.
Genetically modified food is not perfect though. It has been criticized for possibly increasing allergies, and cross pollinating with other plants to create smaller plant diversity.
I understand a person’s desire to be healthy and natural, but I think that there is a bad perception of genetically modified foods and I’m afraid that the trend towards becoming more organic might hurt us in the long run.
There is more information on genetically modified foods at the plant genome sciences website.
If we only produce organic food we will not be able to feed the population of the earth. Genetically modified foods allow a more stable crop production through resistance to unexpected freezes, droughts and they do not attract many insects. Also, while our country tries to reduce its gas consumption the need for genetically modified corn increases. One of the leading alternate fuel options is ethanol which is produced from corn. With genetically modified corn we can produce a larger supply of ethanol with a smaller cost to the producers which in turn means a lower cost to us- the consumer.
Also since bugs are not attracted to these new crops we do not need to use harmful pesticides that have been blamed for contaminating water supplies. They also do not need as many fertilizers as other crops do which also decreases the cost of production. As you can see it’s not merely the space that is needed to be able to more efficiently feed the world, we also need it to be cost efficient.
Genetically modified food is not perfect though. It has been criticized for possibly increasing allergies, and cross pollinating with other plants to create smaller plant diversity.
I understand a person’s desire to be healthy and natural, but I think that there is a bad perception of genetically modified foods and I’m afraid that the trend towards becoming more organic might hurt us in the long run.
There is more information on genetically modified foods at the plant genome sciences website.
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