"How Yew B Livin?!"

"Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life? We are determined to be starved before we are hungry."-Thoreau

When you wake up in the morning, what's usually the first thing you do? Mine would be checking my phone or Facebook before I actually go get ready for the day. In between classes, at meals, hanging out with friends, before you go to bed at night; all the while texting or getting on the internet or playing a video game. We have been surrounded by modern technology for so long that we don't quite know how to function without it. I'm currently finding this out as I do the Thoreau challenge. Even before this though, whenever I would run out of minutes on my phone or not have internet connection, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I compared this to how Titus and his friends felt when their feeds were disconnected. But I think there's was as a greater level. Can you imagine seeing and hearing advertisements, shows, conversations right there in your brain everyday then just suddenly having it turned off? You find that you don't know what to do with yourself without it. It's hard to find enjoyment in other things that don't involve technology when you scarcely remember what it was like before. I have been working hard to try to find new things to do. We were asked the question "Would you be able to live like Thoreau did?" and I can honestly say no. Not souly because of the lack of technology, but more because of the lack of human interaction. I would probably start talking to myself after a while and find that I may not be the best company. Something like this though would show us what luxuary we live in with transportation, TV, cellphones, etc.

But when it comes to the stated quote above, I think about people who rely on new technological advances in order to think they are worth anything. In Feed, Titus and his friends are constantly buying new things and changing the way they look just to keep up with everyone else. I think we kind of do the same thing in our society, just at a slower pace. Even those that say that they don't give into consumerism do. It's hard not to. For example, in Feed, Violet's father can't get a job because he didn't have the feed. This is the same as our society today. Most likely you won't be able to get a job if you cannot be contacted on a phone or by email and if you can't work a computer. The same goes for what you wear. I lived in a small town where I graduated with a class of maybe 100. If you didn't dress like everyone else, you were immediantly outcasted. It's hard to be the odd man out, so most people just try to look the part that society desires them to be just so they can pretend that they are like everyone else. When I think of people that try to be "different" my mind immediantly goes to "hipsters". They claim to be different, innovative, and non conformists, but at the same time they look just like the next "hipster". Isn't that a form of conformity?
I honestly wonder what it would be like to live away from modern society and just embrace my thoughts without interruption, but then I admit to myself that I frankly would be bored. I think I might try it someday, just go somewhere quiet and lose myself in my own mind. Maybe I'll discover more about myself. Maybe I'll just go crazy. It's hard to tell, but I think that even if I never do that I can make an impact in this world because I think I know myself pretty well. Everyone will make an impact in the world no matter how small and even if it does involve technology.

Thoreau Challenge: Blog #1

So it's day two of the Thoreau Challenge for me and I feel so disconnected. I've only been using the computer for homework and at my job which makes it extremely tempting to type facebook into the search bar to just look at it for a few seconds. But I've been resisting the urge. I can live just fine without Facebook and I've noticed that I've had a lot more time to myself and homework wise which is wonderful at this point because I have so much to do that it makes my head spin. Although I can live without Facebook, having my phone off for this long is driving me crazy. Plus it seems to make my life a bit more difficult. I use my phone everyday so I can find out where my friends are to meet up with them or get information about where to meet my project group. But now I have to try to get their schedules and just guess where they would be when I want to see them. It's really annoying and makes me appriciate how technology helps me in that sense.
When it comes to having to go without playing video games, I feel like I have no way to unwind. My boyfriend and I play video games for at least an hour a day because it's something we both enjoy and can do together. I figured since I have to suffer, so does he, so I make him completely stay away from his Xbox when I'm there. This seems to be absolute torture for him considering thats all his does most days and I am at his place most of the day. I really need to try to find another way to relax from my busy day. I have been going to they gym for at least an hour or two a day, but not being able to watch TV or listen to music while I work out makes it harder for me to forget the fact taht I'm sweating like crazy and my muscles are burning. I now bring a book with me (which is also difficult when you're moving up and down on the eliptical). I'm sure this will get easier as it goes along, but it has made me realize how much I depend on technology every day. Frankly, I find it sad that I become so bored without it. I was actually glad that I had to do this blog today becaus that meant that I could distract myself and get a little bit of technology time in.
I keep telling myself that this will be worth it. So i'm hoping I learn something along the way.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

First off, I was highly offended by what Bauerlein said about our generation being “lazy and ignorant”. Frankly, I don’t find myself or my friends to be that way at all. Sure, we sometimes sit around and just play video games or make fun of each other, but I have highly intellectual conversations about politics and over various subjects with them almost every day. I will admit that there are some kids my age out there that don’t care about what is going on in the world and would rather drink all weekend then pay attention to the world around them, but not all of us are like that. I think every generation looks down on the generation following them and assumes they are all stupid. What people don’t realize is that over the years school curriculum changes and we learn different things. I think it is important to know about our rich history and other cultures, but should I memorize every piece of music that Mozart ever composed? Or be able to speak fluent Latin? Would that make me smarter in his eyes? I don’t think I should be required to know everything that you know, or your friends know, or your parents. We all have a specialization in some area of knowledge and I think that is what is best for society. I may know more about psychology than you, but you may know more about human anatomy. We can combine our knowledge and do great things. Just because we all don’t know everything there is to know in the world doesn’t mean we aren’t intelligent.

Bauerlein also stated that we are abusing the internet for social use rather than informational use. I’m pretty sure that I use the internet all the time to find out new things, not just to chat with my friends. Besides, so what if we use the internet for social interaction. We are human and socializing is a key need in our lives. We live in a busy world when we are in college where every second of our day is consumed by fifty million tasks we need to complete each week, along with work and other activities. The internet and cell phones help me keep connected with people using the little time I’m able to do so.

I think that Bauerlein needs to go out in the world and notice that there are many people from my generation that are intelligent and will change the world just like others in his generation. We may do it in a different way, but we will make a difference none the less. I’m confident in my intelligence and I don’t think that I should have to live up to standards like his by learning things that he may think are important. The problem is that the media loves to focus on those that mess up because it’s funny to us. It’s just like that interview with the pageant queen. That was quite a moronic response, but I’m positive that many of the other contestants are nothing like her and were able to clearly convey what they believe.

I do think that people need to take education more serious and try to become well rounded, but to say that we aren’t intelligent is offensive. People like him need to praise those of us that try to do well in life instead of focusing on those that can’t form a sentence. 

Blog #3: Going the Distance

The one thing that I definitely wanted to focus on in this blog is online friendships and relationships. Today, I heard my group discuss their opinions about online dating. Most of the comments made were geared towards the idea that you can’t fall in love online or keep an “honest” relationship. Honestly, I think that is complete bull. I have firsthand experience with an online relationship and I also know others who have experienced them too. There are many experiences that I can recall, but two particular ones always stick out in my mind. The first was a boy named Devin that I met my freshman year of high school on a site called Myyearbook. We would talk every day, he knew everything about me. I trusted him to keep my deepest darkest secrets and I knew that he would be there for me no matter what. After a few months we found out that he lived near my dad so I would spend my weekends up there. We hung out in “real life” and everything was the same. We still joked around and shared things no one else knew about us. It was one of the greatest friendships I’ve ever had. Before that friendship, I always felt completely alone and different, but he showed me that there is always going to be someone out there who is going to love you for whom you are. Unfortunately, he committed suicide before I entered 10^th grade, but I will always remember him fondly because he taught me so many things about myself. Friendships can be formed and kept. Especially because you know how to contact them whenever you want. I find that when I’m home for the summer, the only way I can talk to my friends from here is on the internet. It’s a necessity in my life for that very purpose. I also know how to balance my internet time and time spent with my, I guess you could say, “real” friends.

Another experience I’ve had was with an online relationship. I met Jamison on the same site and we talked everyday: on the site, AIM, phone, etc. We were together on and off for 4 years and we still talk to this day. Even though I still have yet to meet him face-to-face, I can honestly, truly say that at the time I was in love with him. I really do believe that you can find love online. Just because the person lives hundreds or thousands miles away, doesn’t mean you can’t care about them. Its true that you never really know someone until you live with them, but doesn’t that give me the right to say that you don’t really know your own boyfriend/girlfriend because maybe you don’t live with them. Distance is hard, but it’s possible as long as you both are willing to be honest and take time out of your day to make the other person feel that you really love them. Some people can’t handle it and that’s ok. But you can’t tear something down that you’ve never experienced. Besides, many of you could probably say that you have met at least one person online that you liked. It could be the guy that lived down the hall that you didn’t have the guts to talk to till you chatted on Facebook. To me, that is the same as the start (and notice I said START) of an online relationship. The only difference is that you are able to walk a few feet and see him when you do muster up the courage.

On the response sheet to Second Skin, there is a quote that reads “These computers on our desks are turning into portals to other realms of existence…realms that will one day be preferred to Earth.” Some people may prefer them completely to the real world. Maybe it’s easier to for them to talk to someone online because they are too shy face-to-face. But can you blame them. The documentary said that we have created a hostile world that judges people constantly. The internet provides an escape for the things you sometimes just can’t change. How is this any different from reading a book or going for a long run by yourself? I think that as long as you find balance in your life and don’t let the internet consume you, it’s a perfectly fine escape.

There’s also a quote from Culture Jam on page 60 that could people a perfectly good reason as to why they prefer the virtual world, “Even in good neighborhoods…women don’t jog alone after dusk. News agencies report that crime rates are falling, but no one feels safe.” You can apply this concept to the reason why some people prefer dating and friendships online. Say you make a friend on the internet that starts to get really annoying, constantly bugging you to talk to them, almost stalker-ish. There’s this neat little thing called the block button that you can use to make them “go away”. But if you have a real life boyfriend who begins to stalk you then you have to get a court order, move away, change your name, the whole shebang. I’m not saying that running away from your problems is always a good thing, but it’s helpful to know that if you do meet someone creepy online that there’s always ways to disappear in their world.

I think too many people jumped to conclusions when they were watching Second Skin because it showed the extreme side of the online world. Not everyone lets it consume their life. You just need to understand that even people that seem “normal” in your eyes could be having an online relationship or have a bunch of friends from all over the world that they’ve never met. The internet is not as bad as you think it is. 

Blog #2 "I'll Love You More...If There's Less Of You": The Oxymoron We Call Life

    Welcome to America 2011. Where family time means watching MTV reality stars. Where a good meal is a double cheeseburger and dollar fries.  Where Wal-Mart is your favorite and only store you shop at. And when most importantly, the media warps how we view ourselves and the world around us. This is the one place where you think you have to “Keep Up With The Kardasians” just to feel loved.

Every day, millions of Americans sit down in front of their televisions with their TV dinners and celebrate Snooki slam down a few drinks and make a fool of herself.  We all are thinking the same thing, ‘This is disgusting. Why am I watching this trash?’ Yet we continue, because it’s entertaining, popular culture, The “American” way.  The media destroys our self image and creates a warped sense of who we are and should be. I walk across campus every day, passing carbon copy girls with their Northface jackets, Ugg boots, and Vera Bradley wallets. They seem so confident and happy. But a part of me knows deep down inside that they feel worthless and insecure. They wake up every morning and weigh themselves, faces falling as they notice they’ve gained .2 lbs in the last few days. ‘Why isn’t this diet working,’ they think, ‘It worked for Nicole Richie. I NEED to lose this weight so I can fit into those size zero jeans.’  They spend hours picking out the RIGHT outfit, wearing as much makeup as possible, and practice dumbing themselves down to seem more desirable to men. A few of them will eat under 500 calories a day or throw up everything they put into their mouths just to keep up with celebrities. Who can we blame for this? Who destroyed the self images of our friends and family? Media. Plain and simple.

It starts with a picture on the cover of Self magazine, “Lose 30lbs in 30 Days: Look Sexier than ever before”. A girl buys the magazine, shares it with her friends and they begin the journey towards their “perfect selves.” They make themselves believe that they are worthless unless they are thin. All across America this epidemic is taking over. In Culture Jam on page 75, Lasn states, “One way or another, their cheeks are cut by the beauty industry, which has persuaded us that if we are thin and toned and well tailored, we will be loved. They have manipulated us badly.” They have manipulated us. 

The internet is making connecting with other people with eating disorders even easier. People trade tips and tricks showing how they lose weight so quickly and how to hide your disorder from everyone. Here is a website advertising "Thinspiration" which are basically pictures of extremely underweight girls that are suppose to inspire you to lose weight. ( http://www.prettythin.com/thinspiration.htm )  Even I have fallen victim to this “Thin is in” motto. I’ll go on eating binges, followed by purging, followed by consuming barely any calories, followed by exercising until the exhaustion gets to the best of me. Some people believe that this warped sense of yourself doesn’t happen often and if it does, it doesn’t come about until we are in our teens. On the contrary, this mindset may start at a very early age.

 In this article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/nov/18/health ), we look into the life of a recovering anorexic. We see these kinds of stories all the time, but what’s strange is how young she is: 8 years old! It’s scary to think that someone that young can so easily think that they need to be thin to feel loved. They feel the pressure at school from other girls that tease and taunt over how they look; their weight, their hair, the clothing they wear. Sadly, this will continue throughout their lives. We can’t help it. Cosmo tells me that I have to have a “sexy body” to catch a guy’s attention. What girl wouldn’t want to feel wanted?

So ask yourself next time how the media affects your body image and how you view others. Are you scrutinizing the new girl because her legs are a little chubby? Or maybe wishing that you had a flat stomach like the girl down the hall? Guys can’t be excluded from this either. Not saying that all of them judge girls based on their looks only, but they also try hard to “improve” themselves. We all suffer from this ‘TV reality’ life. We need to stear away from this fantasy life and get back to the real world. On the way we must teach ourselves that each of us is perfect in someone’s eyes. Honestly, that’s all you need.