Blog 10: Gattaca response

     It is human nature to ostracize certain types of people. In many cases, this is distinguished by types of gender, race, or even genetics that might seem superior like in the movie Gattaca's case. I agree with George J. Annas as he explains this in his hypothesis "The new ideal human, the genetically engineered 'superior' human, will almost certainly come to represent 'the other'. If history is a guide, either the normal humans will view the 'better' humans as the other and seek to control or destroy them, or vice versa." Many examples of how people are categorized by these characteristics can be seen in human history; one of the many being The Holocaust of WW2.
     The movie Gattaca takes place in the distant future where humans are designed at birth for perfection. This means that most that are born are without any risks of disease and are made in the image of what society considers "elite and superior". This puts those who are born out of natural birth at the bottom of the totem pole, because of risks that their "contaminated", low-class genes will affect the company's reputation. Although there are many people who are against this ideology including myself, many people have fallen prejudice to different types of discriminations just like in the movie Gattecca in human history and in our world today.
     Classifying different groups as 'others' can take us as far back as WW2, where The Holocaust took place. The Holocaust was a mass state-sponsored genocide by Germany against the Jewish people. All non-Germans were considered of "filthy blood", and were unfit in the German's "pure and Aryan" race. This meant that anyone who wasn't of German blood was considered 'the other' and was dealt with the consequences of extermination, or for those who were lucky, to join the labor force (reference to Annas: "If history is a guide, either the normal humans will view the 'better' humans as the other and seek to control or destroy them, or vice versa.")
     Although discrimination today might not be drastic enough to lead to genocide, we still experience it today in our everyday lives. Whether it's someone dislike towards you by race, appearance, gender, or in many cases sexual orientation. An example of this can be found in the recent passing of gay marriage in San Francisco. Many people are in opposition to the law, and therefore view gay couples as 'the other'; where gay couples experience the same opposition also, but instead view people against it as 'the other' because of their unacceptance to the ideology. This has caused many riots in San Francisco and many places in Northern California, where the battle head-to-head in trying to control the other.
     Despite what many believe is right (a world without prejudice beliefs); I believe that this ideology is an essential human characteristic, just like Annas states in his hypothesis. It is just the way the world is and how we are programmed to function. No one is perfect, which means that none of our ideas are perfect either, therefore creating friction between one another when ideas are presented. However, I do believe that with some time and careful consideration both sides can come up with a resolution that is fair to both parties.

Blog 9: (Hero)

     It is all too common for people when asked about who they idolize as a hero to receive the familiar answers of “my parents”. A person’s parents might truly be a role model… but what happens when that person disappears? You and your family might remember them as a hero, but what happens once you and your family disappear? And the family after that? The memory of your heroic parents will soon have disappeared along with all of the other “heroes” we have as parents. Although I believe the movie Hero expresses the idea a little differently, it is able to show the audience what the public views as a real hero, as opposed to one’s ordinary, average day parents or citizens.
      In the movie Hero, we are placed into the scenario of Bernie Leplante, a wise guy from New York whose criminal record for theft probably extends as far as Mexico. Just like any thief, Bernie possesses very unlikeable characteristics to the public. He only cares about himself, and his obsession with money has really given him a run for his luck. Our thoughts of Bernie however, have a slight change of heart when a plane crash delays him from visiting his nine or ten year old son (Bernie is not so sure of his son’s age himself either.) Just like the character Bernie is, he goes about complaining about his hundred dollar shoes as he’s saving innocent people from the burning aircraft. Not that this mattered to him however; he was more concerned about impressing a little boy whose father had gone missing during the fire, stealing a news reporter’s purse, and his expensive missing shoe.
     Just like any other criminal, Bernie doesn’t stick around unless there’s some sort of exchange of money involved and flees the scene without a trace. Only to realize that he had given his shoe away to a friendly hobo who helped him hitchhike home and that they were offering a million dollar reward to the hero who owned the missing pair. The hobo, John Bubber turns in the shoe instead, and Bernie’s luck just seems to spiral downhill from then on.
     The idea the movie portrays is not so much the fact of the modest action of saving people from a burning plane, but in fact what we want that person to represent. I mean, it’s no one’s fantasy to be saved from a burning plane by an unattractive short guy who’s too busy cussing and wondering about the contents of your wallet to care if you’re alright. What anyone would want is an honest (for the most part), giving, tall and handsome gentleman to come and save you instead. That’s exactly what John Bubber was. Although he was living in his car, he was a generous and caring individual, and that’s exactly what the people were looking for and represented what everyone wanted to be. A homeless man with nothing, turned into a celebrity and savior. Unlike Bernard Leplante, who always seemed to have just about enough from swiping credit cards and scamming people.
     The concept of this reality and how people choose to see what they want to see instead of accepting the truth is shown in several parts of the movie. Where the media and people chose to ignore the truth, even if it is evident and overwhelming, and in parts where Bernard questions people is they’d believe him if he told them if he was the real savior of the people on the plane. This can be seen when the news reporter and John Bubber are creating a reenactment of the tragedy for a news broadcast, and even though John Bubber is completely oblivious of the tactics Bernie used to save the people and is using all of the wrong motives, the news reporter chooses to disregard his mistakes by saying that she was probably just “too delusional” from the crash and fire to remember that he was much taller and his actions were different than before. Further still when the news reporter visits Bernie Leplante’s apartment and finds her missing award and purse, and her and her news team automatically assume and make up this story of Bernie somehow making up a scheme of blackmailing John Bubber, even with the overwhelming evidence of who the real hero is right under their noses. A most especially good example can be seen in the bar scene, where Bernie sits down with his close friend the bar tender and asks him the same troubling question of “What would you say if I told you I was the real hero who saved all of those people from the burning plane?” Where the bar tender simply answers him saying, “You and me, we just aren’t those type of guys. John Bubber has all of those heroic qualities that we ordinary guys just don’t have. [Adapted] “, not knowing that the real savior of all those people on that burning plane is sitting in front of him all along. With this answer, Bernie finally comes to the realization that even if he had confessed about saving all of those people, he probably wouldn’t receive the same recognition because he didn’t have of all the admirable qualities (handsome, brave, inspiring, etc.) society look for in a hero that John Bubber possessed.
     It is no question that a hero really is what the people make of him or her. Unfortunately, a hero isn’t the person who commits the heroic action itself. Instead it is that person who possesses the qualities and ability to represent want everyone else wants to be.

Follow up to Blog 8

I would now like you to return to your blog 8 entry and discuss a situation when you have been seen as the other--when your sex, race, habits, tastes etc. have clearly made somebody react negatively toward you and turn you into "the other" for them. Discuss the experience in detail and what you thought about the person as well as about yourself after this experience.

A time I have been considered the other is when visiting my own country. Although I am from Dominican Republic, I wouldn't consider myself the cliché thought of what a Dominican girl acts like (Looking after children, taking care of the men of the household, and cooking and cleaning on an hourly basis.) It struck my family members as strange when I wasn't picking up after my uncle's when they left the dinner table, or when I wouldn't change my younger cousin's diaper. I could tell they were displeased with me with the body language and stares they'd give me; although I would have if asked to, I felt like it wasn't my place to do all of those things because they were distant family. It sort of made me feel bad because I wasn't what my family in the Dominican Republic had expected, and it made me feel like I wasn't as responsible as I thought I was.

Blog 8: The Concept of the Other

a) give a description of your "other."
My description of an "other" would probably be  a mathematician or anyone who has a very special interest in math or is very good at it.

b) explain what it is about it that makes you feel such opposition to it
I feel that the opposition to this group defines me as someone inferior. I'm not very good at mathematics or anything in the category (sciences like chemistry and physics), and I feel like I would never have anything in common with them simply because I don't have the same interest in the subject.

c) discuss what has happened or would happen in situations where you have to interact with someone who belongs to "the other" as you define it. You should make sure that you do not write something offensive to members of that group, but at the same time if you keep good manners you should express your ideas openly.
I have interacted with this sort of group back in high school, and even though I was able to cope with the awkwardness because it was in such a little amount of time, it felt pretty intimidating because I was the only one among my peers who was out casted. I was able to socialize, but not as normally as I would.

Blog 7: Outline and Annotated Bibliography

Facebook


Thesis: Facebook managed to take social experience of college and lifestyle and put it online, improving mass media and communication for the world.

Topic sentences:

1. Creation of Facebook and why Mark Zucherberg (creator) thought it was such a brilliant idea and how it would help people share information.

• Kaplan, Katharine. "Facemash Creator Survives Ad Board." Harvard Crimson (2003): n. pag. Web. 17 Oct 2010

• Mark, Zucherberg, Perf. The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher." Perf. Jesse, Eisenberg. Columbia Pictures: 2010, Film.

2. Different functionality and user base (helping people share personal information more safely between family and friends just like you would in real life). It is not viewed by the public unless they have a Facebook account or a person alters their settings; making it so people are comfortable having a page on the internet at all.

• O'Hear, Steve. "Research: Myspace and Facebook are different class." Social Web n. pag. Web. 17 Oct 2010.

• Mark, Zucherberg, Perf. The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher." Perf. Jesse, Eisenberg. Columbia Pictures: 2010, Film.

3. Creation of the news feed, allowing people to live amongst each other and talk even though they are far apart.

• "Press Open Door 2009." Mark Zucherberg Facebook. Web. 17 Oct 2010.

• Mark, Zucherberg, Perf. The Social Network. Dir. David Fincher." Perf. Jesse, Eisenberg. Columbia Pictures: 2010, Film.

4. Facebook is made for different mediums. You can communicate with friends or a large audience. (ex. Obama or the New York Times wanting to give a message out to the people, or someone who is using facebook to talk to close knit friends and family)

•  "Press Open Door 2009." Mark Zucherberg Facebook. Web. 17 Oct 2010.

5. Site is able to be translated into different languages, so that it is not restricted to anyone with differing background.

• "Press Open Door 2009." Mark Zucherberg Facebook. Web. 17 Oct 2010.

6. Makes things simple and flexible so that it doesnt discriminate anyone. Easy to use!

• "Press Open Door 2009." Mark Zucherberg Facebook. Web. 17 Oct 2010.

7. Has helped keep in touch with their communities and has brought them back together.

• Zuckerberg, Mark. "500 Million Stories." The Facebook Blog. Facebook, 6/21/2010. Web. 18 Oct 2010.

8. Not just Mark Zucherberg, but great people in time also feel that the best way to get a message across is through media and technology.

• Marshall McLuhan- http://www.regent.edu/acad/schcom/rojc/mdic/mcluhan.html

These are the topic sentences I've been working on so far.

Blog 6: Hero

                It is all too common for people when asked about who they idolize as a hero to receive the familiar answers of “my parents”. A person’s parents might truly be a role model… but what happens when that person disappears? You and your family might remember them as a hero, but what happens once you and your family disappear? And the family after that? The memory of your heroic parents will soon have disappeared along with all of the other “heroes” we have as parents. Although I believe the movie Hero expresses the idea a little differently, it is able to show the audience what the public views as a real hero, as opposed to one’s ordinary, average day parents or citizens.

                In the movie Hero, we are placed into the scenario of Bernie Leplante, a wise guy from New York whose criminal record for theft probably extends as far as Mexico. Just like any thief, Bernie possesses very unlikeable characteristics to the public. He only cares about himself, and his obsession with money has really given him a run for his luck. Our thoughts of Bernie however, have a slight change of heart when a plane crash delays him from visiting his nine or ten year old son (Bernie is not so sure of his son’s age himself either.) Just like the character Bernie is, he goes about complaining about his hundred dollar shoes as he’s saving innocent people from the burning aircraft. Not that this mattered to him however; he was more concerned about impressing a little boy whose father had gone missing during the fire, stealing a news reporter’s purse, and his expensive missing shoe.

                Just like any other criminal, Bernie doesn’t stick around unless there’s some sort of exchange of money involved and flees the scene without a trace. Only to realize that he had given his shoe away to a friendly hobo who helped him hitchhike home and that they were offering a million dollar reward to the hero who owned the missing pair. The hobo, John Bubber turns in the shoe instead, and Bernie’s luck just seems to spiral downhill from then on.

                The idea the movie portrays is not so much the fact of the modest action of saving people from a burning plane, but in fact what we want that person to represent. I mean, it’s no one’s fantasy to be saved from a burning plane by an unattractive short guy who’s too busy cussing and wondering about the contents of your wallet to care if you’re alright. What anyone would want is an honest (for the most part), giving, tall and handsome gentleman to come and save you instead. That’s exactly what John Bubber was. Although he was living in his car, he was a generous and caring individual, and that’s exactly what the people were looking for and represented what everyone wanted to be. A homeless man with nothing, turned into a celebrity and savior. Unlike Bernard Leplante, who always seemed to have just about enough from swiping credit cards and scamming people.

                The concept of this reality and how people choose to see what they want to see instead of accepting the truth is shown in several parts of the movie. Where the media and people chose to ignore the truth, even if it is evident and overwhelming, and in parts where Bernard questions people is they’d believe him if he told them if he was the real savior of the people on the plane. This can be seen when the news reporter and John Bubber are creating a reenactment of the tragedy for a news broadcast, and even though John Bubber is completely oblivious of the tactics Bernie used to save the people and is using all of the wrong motives, the news reporter chooses to disregard his mistakes by saying that she was probably just “too delusional” from the crash and fire to remember that he was much taller and his actions were different than before. Further still when the news reporter visits Bernie Leplante’s apartment and finds her missing award and purse, and her and her news team automatically assume and make up this story of Bernie somehow making up a scheme of blackmailing John Bubber, even with the overwhelming evidence of who the real hero is right under their noses.  A most especially good example can  be seen in the bar scene, where Bernie sits down with his close friend the bar tender and asks him the same troubling question of “What would you say if I told you I was the real hero who saved all of those people from the burning plane?” Where the bar tender simply answers him saying, “You and me, we just aren’t those type of guys. John Bubber has all of those heroic qualities that we ordinary guys just don’t have. [Adapted] “, not knowing that the real savior of all those people on that burning plane is sitting in front of him all along.  With this answer, Bernie finally comes to the realization that even if he had confessed about saving all of those people, he probably wouldn’t receive the same recognition because he didn’t have of all the admirable qualities (handsome, brave, inspiring, etc.) society look for in a hero that John Bubber possessed.

                It is no question that a hero really is what the people make of him or her. Unfortunately, a hero isn’t the person who commits the heroic action itself. Instead it is that person who possesses the qualities and ability to represent want everyone else wants to be.

Blog 5: Plan for Media paper

For this blog, I want you to deal with these questions: what is your topic? What is the importance of the topic in the evolution of mass media? What kind of position will you develop in the paper? What kind of sources will be available and what will be the best sources to use?  

I haven't chosen a specific topic yet, but here are a few possible topics I've been thinking of.

Possible topics:

1)Internet and it's influence on society- Facebook: Has brought people together
Sorces: Movie: The social Network, Internet

2)How a specific court case has changed media and communication- sacco and vanzetti trial
Sources: Books: The right to Privacy, Internet

3)The flinstones- how it was the first cartoon to incoporate actual living people into it's series
Sources: Episodes, Internet

4) How google has changed mass media and communication
Sources:Internet, books

5) Star wars- First series to incorporate a perfect society (utopia). ( Demonstrated what everyone wanted)
Sources: Episodes, books, internet


Also, for this blog you should explain, in your own terms, how you understand the concepts of "reason" and "evidence" as well as the term "argument" (it is not what most think). We will go over what you write in class.
Reason is why you have chosen the topic you are talking about.
Evidence is the data and information which you used to support your work.
Argument is simply your opinion of the matter. How you view it, agree or disagree with it.

Blog 4: Reflection

1) What have you learned about writing academic texts so far? Anything from ideas of audience to invention techniques to thesis and topic sentences can be discussed here. Do not simply repeat whatever notes you took in class--the point is for your thoughts on what we did in class: Did these concepts connect with things you already knew and how did you make these connections? If something was unfamiliar, how did you approach it? What is still puzzling to you about these writing concepts? What are you not sure of regarding them?

The writing techniques we’ve done in class aren’t something that I have not come across in previous English classes before. Although I was already well aware of what a thesis statement, topic sentences, and similar writing techniques were, I guess I didn’t understand how to apply these sorts of things in an essay to their full extent. For instance; I didn’t know how to build up a good thesis, where all the points are unified, specific, and restricted, but instead thought that a thesis didn’t need to have all these qualities and just present the main idea. It was pretty startling at first, especially since I was so used to my old way of writing, but it really has helped outline and pinpoints parts of my essay that should be emphasized more and has strengthened my essay writing.

2) What did you think of the interaction with ENA 099? Does such interaction make blogging more meaningful for you or not? How was writing to someone not in class different from making comments on classmates' blogs? Did trying to critique someone else's summary make you more confident that you know the criteria for a good summary?

The interaction with ENA 099 was pretty unexpected, so I was a little taken back when the professor said we’d be commenting on essays that weren’t from our class.  At first I was a bit uncomfortable because I didn’t want to feel as if I were being too assertive with a person I had never met, but towards the middle of the critique I realized that I was only criticizing this person to better their writing. In a sense, I feel that it was much more meaningful to comment on a stranger’s blog because they know I wouldn’t be criticizing them for their appearance, or for personal reasons, but solely on their aspect in writing (as opposed to writing to a student in my class who I already know personally). It made me feel more confident because I knew the individual wouldn’t feel judged as a person.

3) Area of reflection of your choice: What else would you like to share with all of us?

I guess I’d have to say that I’ve learned a lot from the class so far, not just from the class itself and how to better my writing, but also from the students (even those who I have not met personally). I’ve learned how to look at different aspects of a situation and not just assume that mine is the correct one.  I’ve also learned a lot from the essays I’ve read so far (as cheesy as it may sound), some of this stuff is really interesting! I mean, take Nick’s essay about the witch trials in Massachusetts. That’s some cool stuff!

Blog 3: The Matrix Analysis

                In the movie The Matrix, the audience is exposed to the idea of an alternate reality. This sort of “reality” goes completely against the lifestyle we have as humans today, where machines are the primary existence and the earth is a nuclear wasteland.  Similar to the Matrix’s action based movie, Plato’s Allegory of The Cave possesses the same and very famous argument. “Is ignorance really bliss?”

            Unlike today’s perspective of reality, the movie The Matrix takes a little turn on events. Instead of the “real world” being what an average person’s lifestyle would look like (composed of going to work, spending time with friends, and doing things on a routinely basis), the movie tries to get the viewer to believe that this (The Matrix) world is actually a non-existent one.  Implying that the Matrix is a simple façade, used to cloak the true world for what it really is. Although the “real world” in the movie is a world filled with never ending battles of man versus machine for cinematic purposes, it isn’t hard to miss the true intent behind it all: “If given a choice, would you prefer to live in the comfort of a lie or face the truth despite your losses?” This same question is further emphasized in certain scenes and lines from the script of the movie like:  

“MORPHEUS Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.

NEO:How?

MORPHEUS: Hold out your hands.

In Neo's right hand, Morpheus drops a red pill.

MORPHEUS: This is your last chance. After this, there is no going back.

In his left, a blue pill.

MORPHEUS :You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe.

The pills in his open hands are reflected in the glasses.

MORPHEUS:You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.

Neo feels the smooth skin of the capsules, with the moisture growing in his palms.

MORPHEUS :Remember that all I am offering is the truth. Nothing more. “

As quoted in the lines above, Morpheus (The heroin’s mentor) uses the pills to symbolize just how hard decision making in these situations can be. He offers Neo (heroin), nothing but the truth in exchange for his bravery. Unlike many people in today’s world, Neo chooses the hard way and prefers to fight for the truth, even if that means sacrificing himself for others.

            Plato further portrays the same puzzling decision in his Allegory of The Cave, where three prisoners are confined to a cave facing a blank wall with a blazing fire behind them. The shadows cast by the fire on the wall before them is the closest to reality the prisoner’s ever get to see, and because of this they begin to identify with the shadows as they would with real people. Therefore creating their own sort of reality made up of shadows within the caves walls. In the text, one of the prisoners come loose of the chains and faces the painful rays of the sun. With the sun directly hitting him, the prisoner comes to the painful realization that the shadows are actually not real people and when trying to tell this to the other prisoner’s, they prefer to disregard his cries of pain. As opposed to The Matrix’s Neo, but still upholding the same idea, Plato’s texts depicts how sometimes people would much rather live in the comforts they have known and trusted all along than face the blinding truth because they don’t just don’t know what the possibilities might be. Unlike the Matrix, the prisoners were not given a choice and were forced into a lie, therefore leading to their ultimate demise. As quoted by Socrates in Plato’s allegory of the cave; "True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?"

            Unfortunately, even the wise words of Plato and modern adaptations of it in movies like The Matrix can’t give us the answer we are all looking for in the troubling question. Even though a person might agree with Neo and feel that facing the truth is the right thing to do, or might side with the prisoners and feel that if they don’t remain ignorant they will become isolated. Like both, the prisoners in the cave and Neo, the answer is simply what you make of it.