Bringing It All Together

I want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed the things we've read and covered in this class. I almost dropped it when I found out we were going to be studying new age literature, and topics such as gaming. I thought it sounded weird, and I thought I wanted to read the classics. I also did not look forward to writing these blogs. I had thought only losers wrote blogs. I now see that they can be a useful way to share opinions. If I ever become a high school English teacher, like I want to be, I will use them in my class. I am very pleased that I stayed in this section. I read some things that I would have never read on my own; my eyes were opened to things I never would have realized.

One thing that this class made me do was look at reality television in a whole different light. I always thought it was just something put out there for me to enjoy, with no consequences for me or the stars of the shows. I now realize that watching these shows can hurt the stars, or actors. I never thought that the Jersey Shore cast could be different if they weren't thrown into stardom by a television program.

My favorite part of the class was reading The Hunger Games. I never would have picked up this novel on my own time, but I am very happy that I read it. Quite honestly, it is one of the best books I have ever read. Not only was it a good read, but it linked well to reality television. It made me think about how like our reality television shows this "game" was. Could a game like the one in the novel happen in real life? I think, maybe, it could. I think our culture would quickly wrapped up in the excitement that the game brings.

Another thing this class made me do is look at literature differently. Previously, I had read books for two reasons: because they were recommendations for class, and for pleasure. I had never read a book for pleasure and considered linking it to something else that I had read or seen on television. Now when I read, I consider other things that I have experience with that relate to what I am reading.

The last thing that I want to talk about is the class discussion we had on censorship and freedoms. I had never really thought about how giving up privacy at the airport took away some of our freedoms. I know see that this is so.

I really enjoyed this class. I now see the importance of books, and how drastic it would be if we lost them. I enjoyed this class, and blogging about what we read and learned. It's been fun!

To read or not to read; that is the question.

A world without books would be a strange one. It would make school a lot easier for the student, but a lot more difficult for the teacher. Instead of having children read books, teachers would have to tell their students about every story an example they are supposed to learn. Without textbooks, math lessons would be very difficult as well. I would be lost without books in two senses. The first is as a teacher, which I plan to be after graduating college. I think it would be very difficult to teacher without having books to give to my students. How would I teach my students how to read? Would reading be taught in schools? I suppose it would because people would still have to read signs and labels, but reading for pleasure and reading books for information would be an unnecessary task.

I would also miss books on a personal level. I enjoy reading when I have nothing else to do. I like just sitting in my room or outside and reading a good book, being taken away to another place or lifestyle. I find enjoyment in finding entertainment without technology every once in awhile.

People burn books by overlooking them. One example of this is just watching a movie instead of reading the book. It is just another example of how lazy our culture is today. We think the time it takes to read a book is inconvenient, when really the experience has a lot to offer.

I think people find books dangerous because they allow different views to be expressed by the author. Anyone can find anything in a book if they look for it, and this hinders government from having total control over us. I could see books being banned in our culture, with the way censorship is become more and more prevalent. If books ever get banned, I would definitely rebel. I would try and keep my books, and the memories and adventures that come with them.

Hunger Games and the hunger for more

I really, really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings. I just found it to be so exciting and interesting. I usually don't get into books like this, but I really got engulfed in the plot. I found myself thinking like I was a part of the game, and what my strategy would be. First of all, I don't think I would have survived very long. I'm not much of a runner, and due to my greediness, I probably would have went for supplies at the Cornucopia right away and been a quick victim. Nonetheless, I was always criticizing choices made by Katniss and the other tributes.

I found it disturbing that the Capitol put on games like this. I also found it disturbing that, while the people are against losing a child from their District, it was so accepted in society. I feel like I would speak out against a child from my town being put on an island where murder is the only way out. It just seemed strange to me how this went on without much disapproval from the citizens.

I liked how Katniss was all about showing up the Capitol. I found the scene where she covered Rue's dead body in flowers very emotional and moving. I feel like the people watching this scene would have had a doubt in their mind of the humanity of the games at that moment. No one could watch Katniss do that with such emotion and still believe that the games were humane.

While reading this book, a song kept continually popping into my head. The song is "'Til I Collapse" by Eminem. It is about not giving up and giving your all. I could just see any of the tributes listening to this song in their head while going for a kill or traveling during the games. One quote from the song that really fits in with the book is I really, really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings. I just found it to be so exciting and interesting. I usually don't get into books like this, but I really got engulfed in the plot. I found myself thinking like I was a part of the game, and what my strategy would be. First of all, I don't think I would have survived very long. I'm not much of a runner, and due to my greediness, I probably would have went for supplies at the Cornucopia right away and been a quick victim. Nonetheless, I was always criticizing choices made by Katniss and the other tributes.

I found it disturbing that the Capitol put on games like this. I also found it disturbing that, while the people are against losing a child from their District, it was so accepted in society. I feel like I would speak out against a child from my town being put on an island where murder is the only way out. It just seemed strange to me how this went on without much disapproval from the citizens.

I liked how Katniss was all about showing up the Capitol. I found the scene where she covered Rue's dead body in flowers very emotional and moving. I feel like the people watching this scene would have had a doubt in their mind of the humanity of the games at that moment. No one could watch Katniss do that with such emotion and still believe that the games were humane.

While reading this book, a song kept continually popping into my head. The song is "'Til I Collapse" by Eminem. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnslrTTXQSA It is about not giving up and giving your all. I could just see any of the tributes listening to this song in their head while going for a kill or traveling during the games. One quote from the song that really fits in with the book is, "Till the roof comes off, till the lights go out Till my legs give out, can't shut my mouth." I feel like this song goes really well with the story.

As I said before, I really enjoyed this book. Over the summer, I plan on reading the second and third books of the series. I just need to know what happens next!

Reality Check

I read Neal Gabler's article and found it very interesting. I disagree with a lot of it, but I believe it does hold some weight, even though it is kind of outdated. I remember when Survivor first came out and how cool it was. I watched it every week with my parents, but not for the reasons Gabler states in his article. Not once did I think about the people on the show playing out life for me. Also, I feel like the people on the show did it for the chance to win money that they needed to make their lives better. Now, with the popularity the show has gained, I think people do it strictly for the chance to become "famous". I think it is sad when people who are already rich go on shows like that. What do they have to gain from that? Nothing, except cheap fame.

The show I watched for this blog was this weeks Jersey Shore episode. It was the third season finale. I hate to admit it, but I watch Jersey Shore every week. I find it amusing and funny. In the episode, Ron and Sammi fought again, which was becoming a very played out storyline. Also, Deena prevented Vinny from courting a female, JWoww got a boyfriend, and the group had to leave their house for the summer. (I wanted to provide a video of them all saying goodbye and leaving, but every video clip was taken off of Youtube for copyright infringement.)

Notice about how I wrote "storyline". I do not think that this show, or any reality show for that matter anymore, is actually reality. I believe that all of them are scripted. That is why I don't think that me watching them is anything like the Coliseum. These people are getting paid to do a television show. Today, reality television is no different than any other program. Specifically on Jersey Shore, I believe these people would be doing the same things whether they were being paid and filmed anyway.

I find the show entertaining not because it is "real people", but because the situations they are in are just down right funny. Every week, Snooki does something ridiculous that is funny, so I watch, and I laugh. There is no harm in that.

Big Brother Today

Big Brother definitely exists today. It's not as extreme as it is in 1984, but it's definitely there. It exists in the government being able to find out any information they want from us. It exists in their ability to tap our phones. We have definitely lost all rights to privacy. There are few places that we are in total privacy. A big thing that I think shows our invasion of privacy is Google Maps. We talked about that as a group in class on Thursday, and then I went on it today to look at it again. I can type in my address and see my house, my yard and my car. I can even see my dog. I think that right there shows that our privacy is basically gone. There are some roads near my house where they have a camera right on the side of the road that you can see. You can see cars, and even some people clear as day. I find this very odd. I don't see the necessity for this being on the internet, accessible to everyone.

Facebook is another example of how our privacy is given up. If you look at someone's Facebook at any given time, you can normally tell where they are, who they're with, and what they're doing. There are also pictures of them and all their friends. The saddest part of this is that we give this up voluntarily. I feel like if someone told me I had to give out that information, I would feel violated, but we do it on a daily basis without even thinking about it.

I think people are very willing to give up freedoms to feel safe. I am to a point. I'm okay with airport security, and video surveillance cameras at cash registers, but I think that's about where the line stops for me. Regarding a point brought up in class, I think I'd rather take my chances than have security cameras in bathrooms.

Unit, check out these meg ads.

The first advertisement that would show up on my Feed would probably be a Jordan ad. Michael Jordan is one of my all-time sports heroes, and I also love his clothing brand. I have everything from Jordan shirts, to shoes, to shorts. If I had more money, I would probably have at least 15 pairs of Jordan shoes. So I think a Jordan commercial would definitely make it onto my Feed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id14pmEm344.

As I believe I've talked about in my blog before, I love video games. My favorite type of game is baseball games. This year's game, MLB 11 The Show, comes out on March 8th. An ad for that would definitely be on my Feed because I'm pretty excited about buying the new game. I also find this year's ad to be hilarious, and anytime comedy is added to something, I am even more likely to enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKHp0qxSFxA.

Another ad that would make it onto my Feed would be for Dorito's Tortilla Chips. I like their advertisements because they are always funny, and I like Dorito's because they are always delicious. The ad I found to put on my blog is from last year's Super Bowl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rsEnwKrsvc.

As a student studying to be a teacher, I find education very important. I believe that all parents should help their students stay in school and get as good an education as possible. I also like rap music, specifically Lil Wayne. When I saw this public service announcement type advertisement, I found it very interesting, and I definitely think it would pop up on my Feed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05eXpHpY_jo.

Who Needs Technology??? This guy!

I wish I could say that, like Thoreau, I could give up all technology and still live a perfectly happy life. I probably could, except for the fact that my girlfriend is six and a half hours away in North Carolina for school. Technology, such as cell phones and computers, is the only form of communication we have when we are both at school. In the summer, I believe I could live without technology. I believe, if I had my girlfriend and other friends with me, I would have no trouble living in the woods in a cabin without technology. I do not, however, think I would be able to live alone. I would get way too bored all by myself without any way of communicating with anyone. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing though. My friends are what's important to me, so why should I have to live without talking to them?

I did want to touch on Feed a bit in this blog entry. I, surprisingly, really enjoyed the book. It took me awhile to get into it, but I ended up reading the last 160 pages in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down. I found it to be a really interesting story, because I could see our world getting to be like that eventually, with all the technology. One thing I found really interesting was the lesions, and how once the "celebrities" started getting them, that they were cool. I think this was the author showing how ridiculous it is that we let celebrities tell us what to wear and what products to use. I can honestly say I have never bought a product just because a certain celebrity endorsed. Okay, now that I think about it, I did buy a baseball glove once because a certain player I liked used it. That was when I was nine though. I feel like now I have a much more idea of what I find important in my life. I think for myself, unlike the characters in Feed. I would never let the "feed" (internet, media, etc.) tell me how to live my life.

Talkin' 'Bout My Generation

I'd first like to start off by saying that I had never really thought of my generation before and how we look to other generations of people. When I really think about it, I could see people calling us "The Laziest Generation", "The Fattest Generation", or even "The Most Egotistical" generation. I hope we all can agree that, statistically, our generation fits all of these categories. We shop online, have food delivered, and even now have Netflix so we can watch whatever movie we want without leaving our couch. Nowadays we can buy a shirt, get chinese food, and watch "Saving Private Ryan", all without ever putting on pants. I think this proves that our generation is a pretty lazy one. Statistically, more people are overweight now than have ever been before. Finally, we have our cell phones hooked up to our laptops, which are always signed into our Facebooks, just in case John wants to poke you or send you a bumper sticker telling you how many bumper stickers he looked through to find the best one for you, because that just can't wait until you get home from work.

So while I do believe that our generation does have its downfalls, I do not think that "dumbest" belongs on that list. One reason that Mark Bauerlein, I'm going to call him Mark from here on out for sake of typing Bauerlein one more time, states that we are the dumbest generation is because, and I'm paraphrasing from the movie, "Digital culture doesn't open teenagers up to the rest of the world, it opens them up to other teenagers." I am going to have to disagree with this statement, to a point. Yes, it allows us to communicate with other people our age, but it also allows us to communicate with other people from across the county. It also includes more information than would ever be found in a book, including Mark's book. If I want to find a quote saying why people under 30 are dumb, I don't have to by Mark's book; I'll Google it. That doesn't make it "dumb". I believe it makes me "efficient". Also, digital culture, such as the internet, opens teenagers up to anything they want to know. The Smithsonian, many history websites, everything is at our fingertips. Now, Mark said that teenagers don't go to the more educational websites. I'd like to see some data on this point. I want to know how he knows for a fact that teenagers do not use those websites. I know that I have used some of these site to check on things that sparked my interest. How's that for dumb?

My next point comes from the group discussion that we had in class. On my drive home from class, I was thinking about the point that was brought up that our generation should know classical music. I was thinking about this, and what came to my mind is this: What makes classical music more important than any other type of music? Just because Mozart or Chopin directed a certain piece of music doesn't mean that it is more important or more noteworthy than any type of music. I know the music I like isn't the best either, but I also won't expect anyone 100 years from now to be able to recognize "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne. Music is not that important. Just because I don't know a song does not make me "dumb".

What in the world... of warcraft

The video Second Skin was really eye opening to me and quite shocking. I play a lot of video games, but I wouldn't call myself addicted to any of them. I never really thought people could get addicted to video games until I told one of my friends about the movie. He told me that he was addicted to World of Warcraft for about three or four months. He said he would come home from school and play straight through until about midnight. He finally stopped playing because his girlfriend didn't want him to anymore. I found this interesting because he seems to me like a "normal kid". It may be wrong, but when I think of people that are addicted to video games, I think of people that don't play sports or do many social things except for the game. My friend played soccer in high school and is involved in other things. This just showed me that stereotypes aren't always right.

The part that really shocked me was when the man in the movie that was having twins ran an electric cord from the bathroom when that was the only electric working up to his computer just so he could play WOW. If that isn't a sure sign of addiction, I don't know what is. The part that really got me was that he didn't seem to see any problem with it. I would hope he would find his twins more important than a video game.

I really enjoyed the readings in Culture Jam. It's really opening my eyes up to how messed up our generation is. The chapter Your Corporate Connection really shocked me. I didn't realize how the technology we are surrounded by today effects people's lives. If it wasn't for magazines and the internet, Matt and Sarah (from the book) would probably still be together. The sad part is, most people probably really couldn't even imagine life without magazines and the internet. Where would we get information? How would we communicate with each other? The answer, to me, is the way our parents, grandparents, and everyone else before about 1975 did. They listened to the radio. They traveled to actually meet with their friends and family. Although some people would say it was more difficult, I think a life without, as Kalle Lasn calls it, background noise, would be a much more enjoyable one.

Introduction

My name is Justin Sell and I am a junior Elementary Education major here at Ship. In my spare time here I like to play video games, watch tv, listen to music, and hang out with my friends. I play mostly sports games on my ps3 such as Madden and MLB 2k11, but I just started playing Call of Duty this year when Black Ops came out. I like to watch comedy movies. My favorites are Anchorman and Get Him to the Greek. I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, but rap and hip-hop are my favorites. Two summers ago I saw Lil Wayne with my girlfriend and it was awesome. We were four rows from the stage! I took interest in this class for two connected reasons. I am a reading minor, and also I eventually want to switch to teaching high school English. I enjoy reading and writing, and I think showing teens the joys of reading would be a valuable thing to do. I like to read comedy books, mainly biographies and other books written by comedians, but I also read novels. The last book I read was Russell Brand's biography called My Booky Wook. I am currently reading his second book. I would define literature as anything written for a purpose of being read by others in a professional manner that has style and form. This includes books and magazines, but excludes things like blogs and facebook posts.