Origin: Prison Food
Recipe:
1 bag of Hot Cheetos (Crunchy also $1.50 from local poppi store)
3 Beef Sticks ($1 from local poppi store)
1 Bag of Ramen Noodles (35cent from local poppi store)
Shredded Sharp Chedder Cheese (Optional)
Steps:
Grab your bag of noodles, crush them up inside of your package then pour them into a bowl. Take the flavoring out of the bag, open it up and sprinkle half of the flavoring on your noodles. Take your bowl and run water in it from the sink. Use water until your noodles are a few centimeters under the water.
Put the bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes.
While you are waiting crush the hot cheetos up in there bag, until its a bag filled with hot cheeto dust. Then grab your 3 beef sticks and cut them up into 1 inch pieces.
The microwave should have went off by now, take your bowl out and stir up the noodles. Now dump the hot cheetos inside the bowl, mix this up consistently. Once, the hot cheetos have been mixed into the noodles well, pour the pieces of beef sticks inside the bowl and mix this well also.
Place your bowl in the microwave for 1min and 30 sec.
After you take the bowl out of the microwave for the second time grab a handful of your shredded cheese of your choice. Remember this part is optional. Sprinkle your cheese over the top of your food making sure that its extra cheesy.
Place your bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds.
Now your Chi Chi is ready to go. ENJOY!
Marianne’s Favorite Cornbread
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
½ cup of salad oil
1 cup of creamed corn
1 cup of regular yellow cornmeal
3 tbs of baking powder
1½ tsp of salt
1 small can of green chilies (optional)
1 small jar of pimentos (optional)
Instructions:
Beat eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir in the next three ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients, add into the egg mixture.
Add green chilies and pimentos, if desired.
Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes in a rectangular, 1½ quart casserole.
My grandmother's cornbread recipe was one of my favorites when I was young. She is southern, and used to make us homemade mac and cheese with cornbread when we went to her home in North Carolina. The majority of ingredients in this recipe are whole foods. A whole food is defined as, “a food that has been processed or refined as little as possible and is free from additives or other artificial substances”. Eggs, baking powder, and salt are all whole ingredients that have been eaten and used by civilizations for thousands of years. Salt and baking powder are chemical compounds derived from natural mineral compounds. Green chilies and pimento peppers are both whole foods that grow in nature as well. Sour cream, when from cows not treated with rBGH, is also a whole food. Whole dairy is directly from a naturally occurring source and is typically unaltered before consuming. Whole grain cornmeal (cornmeal that has not been degermed) is the kind of cornmeal that my grandmother would have used for this recipe, and one that is also a whole food. Salad oil is a term that can apply to many different oils, such as vegetable oil, canola oil, and peanut oil. This is the only ingredient in the recipe that is not a whole food. Many processed foods have a long list of ingredients that include some type of vegetable oil. In addition to the oils being processed, trans fats, a product of this process is also a type of processed food.
Ingredients
Two Cans Goya Black Beans
Two Tablespoons of Salt
One Cup of Vegetable Oil
One Package of Goya Queso Blanco Cheese
One package of Tostadas
Bean Paste
Place large skillet on over top and preheat with medium flame.
Place cup of vegetable oil on skillet.
Sprinkle two tablespoons of salt evenly across oil.
Empty two cans of Goya Black Beans onto skillet
Wait about two minute until fully warmed.
Use masher to ground the beans into a paste.
Continuously mash beans for about five minutes.
Turn off flame.
Tostasdos
Spread small amount of bean paste of smoothly across tostados.
Cut off small piece of Queso Blanco Cheese and crumble it across tostados.
Enjoy!
Analysis
About ⅘ of my recipe can be considered processed, only the beans can be considered a whole food. I’m not sure what other outcome you expect when a recipe is supposed to be tied to family and culture yet somehow avoid processed foods when they’ve been used for decades.
Mostly all of my ingredients are made by Goya Foods located in America, the only exceptions being the Salt and Vegetable Oil which were made by separately. None of the ingredients were organically grown but all are domestic products. Every ingredient was processed from raw materials in a factory setting.
The entire meal costs less than $15 if all ingredients were purchased new, it costs even less since most items on the ingredient list are aleady in most households. It’s not that great of a price when compared to $5 meals I could purchase at fast food restaurants, say McDonald’s. But since all of the ingredients were manufactured domestically, the money would be going to the private companies that made them.
Overall this meal, or snack, takes less than half an hour to make and it’s very convenient to make since most of the ingredients were already in the house. As someone who comes from a low-income family that’s always strapped for time, this a very affordable dish. I prefered making this to a more expensive meal that would cost nearly triple to make if all the ingredients were bought organically.
Free expression is one of the things that keep our society functioning. It is an item that we use on a daily basis to express ourselves. Without free speech, we have nothing. Our society has nothing to function with, and we have no way of letting people know how we feel about things. When it is threatened, or when people have their free speech taken, that is something very bad. We have employees being fired for their opinions, we have speakers being kicked off of campus, and many more bad situations happening.
There are situations in society are screwed up because people need the freedom to express themselves. People should not be fired for expressing different opinions. Different opinions should not be censored or slandered. There are situations where this has happened. I had to get some interviews to see if others saw what I saw. People have different experiences when it comes to this very important topic, so it was important that I went and got their opinions.
I interviewed Jared, and he told me this. “There’s a lot of controversial topics in our society today, and even if you believe something, your not accepted for believing it”. He finds this to be “very hypocritical”, and so do I. This is a prominent issue on the college campuses, like when Milo Yiannopoulos and Ben Shapiro get kicked off of college campuses. I also spoke to Liam, and he has a different view about this. Liam, however, sees that people can reasonably disagree without being unaccepted and unreasonable. “Yes, most people can have reasonable conversations about topics they disagree on”, says Liam. When I asked Liam about whether he can give express himself freely. His answer was, “Yes, although I'm worried by the chilling effects of the Trump administration arresting reporters and putting forward "alternative facts." He feels that some of Trump’s actions are not helping the matter. When Jared bought up faith, it reminded me of the employees who have been fried for their beliefs, as well as the 7 year old who was forced by the law to stop saying bible verses in school. When I spoke to Harry, he acknowledged that the bosses had a right to fire people over their opinions if they don’t represent the company. But he also said that, “You don't fire someone over basically just a political opinion”, but did acknowledge that if they said something vile, their job is in danger. That was just a fraction of what they, as well as Jamira, had to say. You can read and hear the rest of what they said in the bottom of the essay
The interviews I did really expanded my horizon on the issue of free speech. It gave me a lot to think about, which was very important. I still think there is a threat, but it may not be as widespread as I thought. Jamira, Liam, and Harry all said that they feel as if they can freely express themselves. But Jared said that’s not the case for him, and the stories that we here suggest that this is not the same for everyone. Reasonable discussion and disagreement are needed in today’s society. We can’t censor and try to shut people down when we disagree with them, nor can we destroy their lives. We must discuss our disagreements like adults if we ever want to find solutions to very serious issues.
Links & Transcripts
Jared
file:///home/chronos/u-fc3d926395967a19bec5dc249ad7db47e9b8001a/Downloads/Ali%20Record%20Of%20Jared.mp3
Liam
Questions he answered
Do you feel that you can freely express yourself
A. Is it anything different at school?
B. Is it any different at home?
Do you feel that there is a threat on free speech?
Do you feel that most people can have a reasonable conversation about a topic they disagree on?
What types of views get their free speech attacked the most?
Are there certain things that you feel you're not allowed to say?
Do you feel that you can express yourself on social media without getting fired from a job, or facing similar consequences?
His answers:
Yes, although I'm worried by the chilling effects of the Trump administration arresting reporters and putting forward "alternative facts."
2. No.
3. Yes, most people can have reasonable conversations about topics they disagree on - case in point our group chat.
4. Fascists, and they deserve it. In my opinion, you shouldn't be allowed to say that you want to kill millions of people.
5. There isn't anything I feel that I'm not allowed to say. There are many things that I choose not to say, because words can hurt people and I understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of hatred.
6. Unless you're a federal employee or say something that is so monumentally stupid that you become internet infamous for it, there's very little chance of getting fired for saying things on the internet.
Jamira
Questions Answered:
Interview Questions
Do you feel that you can freely express yourself
A. Is it anything different at school?
B. Is it any different at home?
Do you feel that there is a threat on free speech?
Do you feel that most people can have a reasonable conversation about a topic they disagree on?
What types of views get their free speech attacked the most?
Are there certain things that you feel you're not allowed to say?
Do you feel that you can express yourself on social media without getting fired from a job, or facing similar consequences?
Her answers
1. Yes, I feel like I freely express myself.
A. Especially in school. I feel like i can do this by expressing my personality through my choice in clothing, hair color, etc. Being as though SLA has such a diverse community, I think it is easy for me to make friends and befriend others since we are such an open and accepting school. This makes me feel like I am able to be true to myself and not fear others opinions. I also feel like the school likes to receive feedback on my opinions as well as others. I feel like I have a voice in the school.
B. I feel the same way at home. My parents and siblings accept me for who I am and within our household we treat each other equally. This allows us all to listen to each and freely express our emotions and concerns with each other.
2. I feel like there is a threat to free speech in a sense that some people may fear playing devil's advocate and holding the unpopular opinion. Personally, I am not afraid to state my opinion on anything and I would like to think that I provide a comfortable space for people to feel the same.
3. Depending on the topic, I think most people have a reasonable conversation. Granted, one party may feel stronger about the topic than the other which may cause a heated discussion, but this is where maturity comes in and both parties should understand that it is okay to disagree.
4. I don't really understand this question..
5. Absolutely not. I feel like there are many things that I may hold an unpopular opinion on, but I am not afraid to voice my opinion and my reasoning behind it.
6. This is kind of a touchy subject. Although I am an advocate of freedom of speech and freely expressing oneself, I do feel like social media is where this issue becomes controversial. Personally, I would not put anything on social media that I wouldn't want anyone to see, but unfortunately this is an issue that sometimes occurs with others. I think that if a person would not be okay with their parents seeing it then they should probably agree that their employer would not want to see it either. Especially for professional jobs, one may not want to post anything provocative or obscene on media account. Also, they may not want to say anything negative about their job or company that they work for. I feel like if a person is that into social media to where they post and tweet about their entire life, I think that they should at least make their accounts private, especially if they are posting things that could possible get them fired from their job.
Harry
file:///home/chronos/u-fc3d926395967a19bec5dc249ad7db47e9b8001a/Downloads/Audio_01_25_2017_08_50_24.m4a%20(1).mp4
Articles that inspired the project
http://www.dailywire.com/news/7864/breaking-depaul-university-bans-shapiro-john-minster
http://www.newsweek.com/2016/06/03/college-campus-free-speech-thought-police-463536.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/21/your-money/speaking-about-politics-can-cost-you-your-job.html
http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2016/09/high_school_student_reportedly_suspended_for_anti-.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/22/texas-school-punishes-boy-for-opposing-homosexuality.html
http://www.infowars.com/news-reporter-fired-for-supporting-trump/
http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2016/12/31/booklash-celebrities-mad-milos-book-deal/
Steps
I mean any meal is sort of processed, if it has more than a single component. Each individual food except the spices is a food that is whole and individual. Beans, rice and beans grow from the ground. The processing component comes from the use of vegetable oil, which is extracted from things like soybean and corn.
We'll the beans I intend to cook with originate from Nicaragua. Rice and beans each grow in warmer climates, rice grows in water. These sources of food adapted and yes evolved based on region because they can be found around the globe growing anywhere consistently warm. Onions are genetically vague, they leave minimal trace of origin but also grow in warmer climates. Researchers suggest they may have been first grown in the middle east.
If the researchers who have insufficient proof are right, that would mean onions traveled furthest to our table. Specifically researchers who suggest Iran as the source of onions. That’s about 6,000 miles away. Nicaragua is half that.
I personally am not sure if my ingredients are organically grown. Specifically the beans. They were sold at a market like setting in a developing country. The rice came in a bag from a United States grocery store and it wasn’t Whole Foods so I assume it probably isn’t. But I have no clue what kind of genes are put into a grain of rice. Onions were more than likely genetically modified to give an appearance to be able to pass into an American grocery store.
This meal is extremely cheap. Not even kidding. A 25 pound bag of rice sells for about 300 cordobas, or ten dollars. The 10 pound bag of beans goes for about 8 dollars. And the onions sell for about 20 cordobas each. About 70 cents. This is far cheaper and more wholesome than fast food. It’s extremely cheap. That amount can feed you for over a month for like 20 bucks. It’s economical and nutritious as you get grains, carbs, protein and some vegetables in a meal so cheap. The fast food sells for like seven bucks a meal that’s like 2,000 calories. Each food has a USDA standard to meet, except one is juiced up with preservatives, butter, oils and coloring. We'll the fast food corporation is involved. And they’re huge. For my gallo pinto no corporation is involved because it’s some farmers business that’s small. Overall, it’s a very solid food to afford and eat.
Our goal for our project was to remind people of Philadelphia and the country that undocumented immigrants are humans too. These are people who are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. We wanted to let people know and show that we advocate for undocumented immigrants should not have to live in fear.
The Prison system is created to hold people who have been convicted of a crime. They house, feed, create jobs and even train inmates while they are incarcerated, however there the program for reintegration is non-existent. When prisoners are released from prison they often times lack the skill needed to fully integrate with family, friend and the work force and this leads them to commit the same crimes. Prisoners need a program that will give them the necessary skills needed to be successful after prison.
Elizabeth W. Mckune is a Psychologist whose ultimate goal is to help convicts re-establish themselves after prison. She has successfully incorporated integration skill into her mental health program, in an attempt to equip parolees with the tools needed to be successful. This program helps inmates find housing, employment, and health services. It also helps inmates to re-establish positive relationships with family and friends. This is important because if we had more programs similar to Dr. McKune, the level of recidivism would decrease significantly because parolees would have more to live for instead of repeating the same mistakes again that caused their incarceration in the first place. Dr. McKune says “We are already starting to have an impact, parole and probation officers are becoming less punitive and more about, ‘How can I help this person?”
According to Sentencing Law and Policy (2016) “more than 600,000 citizens return to neighborhoods across America after serving time in federal and state prisons,” 67% of those offenders get re-incarcerated within eight to twelve months after being released. A good friend of mine was locked up for burglary and armed robbery, he was incarcerated for about four years and when he was released he said that it took him a couple months to get back on his feet and adjust to being back in society. “Being in jail can change your whole perspective of life itself” he said, he wouldn’t recommend any one visit a place like that. He said “the only places that would employ him were fast food restaurants, because they were the only ones who would accept someone with a record. Until now, he currently works as a truck driver.
Outside source correction officer - One of the reasons people go back to prison is because of pressure. While in jail all the inmates every day needs are taken care of. They have a place to sleep, they are fed, bathed and clothed but when they are released they fail to fend for themselves. After prison is even harder because it is very difficult for them to get a job. Many feel as if they're not just going to be broke and sitting around, so more times than not they're going back to the things that landed them in prison the first place. In prison there are many different rules and guidelines that you wouldn’t follow on the outside. For instance: sexual activities, if you’re the one receiving and not getting than there’s nothing wrong that. The food the prison system is absolutely nasty to the point that people will kill over it. Inmates will use that to their advantage, they sell things such as snacks just to get people set up to be killed. When inmates get money put on their books other inmates watch who gets the most money or a significant amount and plot on them. For example: there was an inmate that had his grandma put money on his books and people noticed to they threatened to beat him up critically if she didn’t put money on their books too and sure enough when she didn’t they severely beat him and they had to send him to a different block. That is just one of the many horrific stories that occur in prison.
Interview questions
1. explain the crime you committed
2. Knowing that the things you were doing could potentially land you in jail why did you
keep doing those things
3. How is the everyday life in prison explain the good times and bad times.
4. Does jail change your perspective on the outside world after being released
5.how did you adjust back to society
6. What are some restrictions that you have.
7. What do you think should be done to help out people who have been released from
prison
People typically don’t care about how others end up in jail so when it occurs they don’t think twice about it so by detailing this story people can get a better understanding as to why inmates end up back in jail and maybe then we can try and fix the problem.
Interview employers
Research the different styles of imprisonment in different countries
In norway citizens rarely go to jail and when they do the chances of being reincarnated are slim what keeps this country like this is a system they use. In Chinese Prinsion it is said that “inner cell was the same size but held 30 prisoners, all sleeping on the concrete floor. There were no blankets or pillows and the room was so crowded that most prisoners slept on their sides with arms draped over each other like embracing couples (Prison Legal news, 2014), and in Russia “For every 160 people there were maybe three or four working toilets, four or five taps in the washing facilities, no showers - and that's the very least of it, (Made for Minds, 2016).
Reference:
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/05/prison.aspx
http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/reentry_and_community_supervision/page/2/
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2014/jun/22/inside-chinese-prison-americans-perspective/
Audio Piece: https://www.soundtrap.com/play/cuzSQK2ATGu1_5n6mT2i3Q/dyol-jun-jie/
You open up your laptop and go on Google to search the salaries of the highest paid jobs. You then scan the list to see which job is desirable for you. Later in life, you realized that you are not happy with the occupation you settled with.
A lot of the adults are going through this process in the present, and as teens, we all need to realize how important it is to continue following our passions. Teens need to know what it means to live a passionate lifestyle. Many teens see the need for money as a extremely important thing. As necessary money is, it should not be something that is determining your life. The idea that a human being is only able to live once don’t conclude in a life where you can financially stabilize yourself, but instead, it means that you are enhancing your experiences everyday and that you are doing something for the community also.
“Like the universe, your dreams have no limits. You are the creator of your dreams, big or small ones. When you understand this you are able to favor your plans and accomplish your end goal,” quoted by Sebastian Canaves.
So what is passion? How do you know that you have a passion? Passion is the eager feeling that you get when you are doing that something you love. You have the urge to want to learn more or do more.
With all of the struggles that young students are going through, one of them is finance. As a high schooler, you learn how expensive a good future is. More importantly, you learn how much you are hungry to be financially stable because you want to be able to satisfy all of those things. With the budget cuts that are occurring in the Philadelphia School District, there is no sign of motivation for students to continue in following their dreams.
What will following my dreams get me? Ben Pasternak is a regular 16 year old teenage boy from Sydney, Australia. He created a retail app for consumers that love sneakers and clothes. He took the risk of traveling to America to launch this app and it went extremely success. Now, he is a high school dropout and the CEO of a multi-millionaire application at the age of 16. This is just one example of what pursuing a passionate life look like.
According to Sebastian Canaves, “By following your dreams you will come to know that failure is apart of success.” Sebastian Canaves is an author and has presented his ideas on TED. He was kicked out of school as a teenager. “Living is giving. When following your dreams you definitely have a story to tell.” This concept is something that is very important. A huge part in the growth of human beings are when they listen to other people’s stories to gain inspiration. Mr. Canaves talked a lot about how much you can actually do in a lifetime. “I died in 2008 and was reborn again. After a tragic car accident in Sydney where my drink was spiked, I got robbed and hit by a car I realized that life can end any time. It must not even be your fault. Some idiot who doesn’t look out, is drunk or too tired could hit you with his car and everything your worked for is over… Ask yourself; What have you achieved so far? What have you done until today? Have you already lived?”
¨You should know this already¨
I hear it everyday, we hear it everyday. We are not here to be successful; the world of education is not made for us. By us I mean, kids in situations that not everybody faces. Kids who haven't had the advantages most kids are enabled to have. The kids who are deprived a rightful education from this current education system. We are enrolled in these classes but not much learning happens in these classrooms. D’s dramatically placed down upon a paper every marking period. Teachers passing along the river of trouble to the next available teacher. No knowledge, no chance to succeed;but it continues until it's too late. You hit high school and realize, high school is made for children who already know the material. There is only a slight chance of achievement for those who lack that subject of knowledge.
Growing up in a charter school, many people believed I had a wonderful educational experience. The big classrooms filled with white walls and a gorgeous interior. The big staff and crowds of smiles as you would tour through the halls. Everything about the school would make you think it offered students the very best education.. But as you dig deeper into each classroom you realize, “To be educated… mostly meant always packing an extra number 2 pencil and working quietly.” As long as you complied with adults and acted remotely focused, you will pass. Kids who knew the information but remained silent throughout the school day averaged A’s; the quiet students with no knowledge of the material averaged B’s; the ones who never listened or learned passed with C’s. The likelihood of passing was always in your favor. It was more difficult to fail than to pass. A school built on the foundation that, “no child gets left behind” became a reality. Teachers become more interested in getting the problem out of their hands than solving the problem. Lack of control became, lack of knowledge which leads to a lack of success. In the end you always leave wondering, ¨Who is successful here?¨
Meeting others with unique backgrounds in education, you tend to learn which kids had a valid education and which ones were deprived of that privilege. All the kids who more privileged in education were more involved in class as a whole, while many who weren’t too familiar stayed back in silence. But once you hit high school, being quiet was no longer a passing grade. You needed to know the material, every last attribution was essential. Once you allow people to know your disadvantages you are now labeled as lower than the rest. “I have a ‘zero tolerance approach’ to grammar mistakes that make people look stupid.” Yet you can not get to a higher level with no help. You are stuck and the society of education allows it. They batter you down and restrain you from succeeding yet preach and teach you about how they want you to succeed. Kids are expected to know things as a first nature kind of thing but are never introduced to these topics. Our brains do not form and confine information it is never introduced to. Yet education standard judge you as if they do.
As life goes on you begin to wonder, “are there anyways for these type of kids to succeed?” With a lot of studying and preparing for these subjects, kids may be able to succeed. But in the reality of it, not all kids have these advantages or tools to prepare correctly. They all may not be able to absorb and maintain the information in a short period of time needed to succeed. Kids who succeed have encountered these subjects for a long time through their life, so it may be familiar and easier to keep knowledge of. Whereas through, kids who are not familiar don’t have these simple understandings and are not given the effort and/or attention to learn these basics. Most often, kids who lack certain abilities are thrown into these smallers classes, which is supposed to be an efficient way to keeping them up to date with the rest of the class. When in reality they are just, “a place for those who are just not making it, a
dumping ground for the disaffected.” There is no time given to actually teach these kids. Our education becomes lazy and we are no longer effective to be affected by the information we are supposed to endure. There is only way around this. Schools need to add classes which teach the bases of every subject and it is a place that allows kids to keep a hold on their education. A chance that was once taken from them is now given back.
Yes, I should already know this, but being stuck in an education system where educators only seem interested in when their next paycheck will come, instead of the learning of their students motivates me to reach my full potential. I refuse to be a victim of a failed education, I will strive and get the education I rightfully deserve. Not giving up like education has done to me, their is always a way around it. I must continue on and so should the education of our world; we as students of this education system deserve a chance at a life of fulfillment and success. Although a fair chance might not be granted to everyone, we have to fight and change this system that only aids the privileged, and give the less fortunate a chance for prospering.
Cited Work:
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My image includes a lot of different things that allows you to tell you who i am, what i like to do. I was told to make all of my pictures transparent or, make everything colorful. I learned to pictures look better when they bleed, that's because, it allows your corners to pop out. I changed the background color, the format, and made my words bolder. My slide is way much better than the beginning. Thank you for teaching me this information.
Introduction:
It took me a while to find a topic relating to identity that I was really passionate about until I came across an article online that talked about how people were using ‘fake news’ to confuse and manipulate people. I thought this was interesting because it talked a lot about how our society is changing since the time when the internet was not as much of an asset to our everyday lives.
No one is real, an almost infinite number of fake people climbing through a tangled web. They give a feeling of worth to some insignificant person that lives on another side of the planet. This lets us hide from ourselves, the people that we want to become can now be who we really are, just by hiding behind a screen. Now we can be defined by what a number of pixels and some piece of hardware says about us.
Now that the internet has become a piece of everyday life, people are allowed to live through the persona they create for themselves. It has become a part of life, that we must look at a person we meet through the internet and have to wonder whether they are real or not. Though some have different reasons for lying about who they are, some just want to create the person they wish they were in real life, others use it to manipulate. There is still one thing all of these people have in common--they can hide from the rest of the world without having to get out of bed. You can do anything, be anyone.
Along with the fact that you can no longer trust people you meet on the internet, your activity is also constantly being tracked. Advertising companies can learn anything about you, take your search history and create a completely personalized viewing experience for each person based on what information they are able to dig up about you. It is almost something out of George Orwell’s 1984, which illustrates a dystopian world in which none of your actions are private.
Journalist Curtis Wallen from The Atlantic writes a fascinating article dating back to July in 2014 about his experience creating a fake identity online, in which he talks about the way anyone can access information about you. In his writing he says “It’s not an exaggeration to say everything you do online is being followed. And the more precisely a company can tailor your online experience, the more money it can make from advertisers.” This tells us how almost everything that you see on the internet everyday is an effort for an advertising company somewhere to make money off you.
The depressing truth about what happens today is that identities are created or stolen, and it is becoming harder and harder to weed your way through and find real people. There are websites that are used for dating all over the internet that help match people up, hopefully leading to a relationship. A big fear between people that use these dating sites is that someone is lying about who they actually are in order to attract people to them. They might do this by using a picture of a model instead of themselves, or by speaking in a way that might attract a certain type of person, instead of speaking as you might in real life. This has been a dangerous game for people to play for a long time, though it is becoming easier and easier to get away with. Anyone can sit and hide behind a screen and pretend to be anyone they want, and usually without any repercussions.
Another recent issue that connects to false identity is fake news. People who claim to be high power officials spread news that has been completely made up in order to make a point of their own. Through social media sites like Facebook we are handed a lot of information about what is happening in the world, and it turns out that most of it is not true, but because we see it there and hear it from something we trust, we automatically believe that it is the truth. Pui-Wing Tam a journalist for The New York Times writes in a recent article from early January 2017, “The phenomenon of fake news is reinforced by powerful figures who cite the false information and help spread it. That includes Mr. Trump himself, who has invoked fake news when it has suited his needs.” Now we are faced with the issue of not knowing what is real or not online, are the people real, is what we see and hear actually accurate?
This leaves us as a population with the question: How has the use of the internet and the ability to have access to the largest portion of the world we have ever had, changed the way we think of our own identity, and the way we perceive others? This is a question that should be explored deeper throughout the next coming years because it has led to issues like cyberbullying, which has allowed people the right to act like monsters towards one another online because they have the protection of the screen between them. The little monitoring that goes on is also staggering, there are little to no consequences for people who commit these types of crimes over the internet.
Throughout the coming years I hope that we are able to find a way of solving this problem, this issue that leading us into the world that George Orwell foretold, where we can trust no one. Identity means nothing anymore because through the internet we are able to be whomever we want to be.
Wallen, Curtis. "How to Invent a Person Online." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 23 July 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2017. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/07/how-to-invent-a-person-online/374837/
Tam, Pui-Wing. "The Continued Creation and Dissemination of Fake News." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Jan. 2017. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.
With the sun gleaming over our us as we make our way towards starbucks. I’m slowly getting excited, because he’s always busy, so him making time for us to hangout together was a really big deal at the time. It was the middle of the afternoon, he holds the door, and we walk in. It was him and the shy quiet shadow following him, me. Starbucks is usually crowded with people with suits and all that fancy stuff.
Minutes go by,
“can I help you?” He turns around ask me what I want, as I whisper “I’ll have a green tea frappe,” barely allowing him to hear me.
Suddenly it felt as if I became prey to everyone in the place, and the slightest bit of noise out of me, would make them all attack me. He repeats it to the cashier, and orders himself a pumpkin spice latte. I reach for my wallet, since I already assumed I was paying for my own order. Once again, he turns around, looks at me, and hands the lady the money. Then left me standing there awkwardly with my wallet in my hand almost as surprised as I am.
Trust me, I had no intentions of letting him pay for my drink, and he went ahead and did it. I look around before releasing the arriving smile to myself. Now I’m super shy, everything that I am not I became. Then we wait, we wait for the emotion, the day to fall into our hands, and for the drinks of course.
A friend walks up, he’s liked by many, and they talk, exchange hugs and we wait again. It was hard standing in the back knowing my voice was locked somewhere deep inside me, and the hug I was holding in refused to come out of me. Instead, I still stand there, waiting for the drinks, and being everything that I am not.
Suddenly, his name is called, our orders are finished and are slid onto the counter, as we both go over there and retrieve them. Felt good for some reason, the feeling that they don’t make these type of boys anymore. Something so small, became something so big to me and something that I have never been used to. We walk out, and he goes towards his bike waiting for him.
“ I have to go get my bike fixed,” as I stand there beside him watching him struggle with the bike lock. Using the voice that didn’t come out earlier, I offer to hold his drink to make the job easier. That did the trick! He got it! And I handed it back proud to at least help him in the way I could.
We make our way towards Breakaway bike shop, and he holds the door, and I walk in. Never being in the place, where all types of bike gear is hanging from the walls and sitting tempting on the shelves took me by surprise. He knows what he came for, and he knows what he wanted, he had a goal. We walk into the back of the shop, the guy inspects the bike and tells him that the rear wheel just needed to be adjusted. The two of us take seat next to each other, and no words are coming out of my mouth as I snapchat my best friend where I am.
The guy comes back up saying,
“It’s going to take a while,” and he responds “I’ll just take a walk around the city, and I’ll come back.” The guy agrees, and we make our way out of the shop. Just him and the quiet girl he made me.
With no certain way to go, we just walk where our way takes us, and jokes are exchanged back and forth. He was that important to me, that walking around with him, with the time that he made for me, was meant to be used to its fullest. We approach the painting shop that catches my attention, and I rush inside to see if they had any art created of Michael Jackson. He waits outside, and I constantly check to see if he's still there. It was satisfying to have him all to myself with no feeling of his attention being directed towards anyone else. He knew how I acted and how I was, so it took me by surprise that he wasn’t trying to break the wall I had put up.
The swinging thought of whether this person had any feelings towards me is what kept me really from being myself. Then again, we were best friends for two years at the time, and I wasn’t trying to jump to conclusions. After time ran past us, we returned to the bike shop, conversation is swapped, and purchase is made. Fifteen minutes really went by, and what seemed such a long time was so short. It was like telling yourself that you are only going to watch two episodes of a season of your favorite show on Netflix, and you end up watching the whole season. In the end, you are so satisfied, but at the same time so shocked at the fact that time was walking right by you. That’s how it felt with him, the time we were spending made me ignore time only making me crave more of it. We both had more time to waste, and we both figured why not go Forever 21. The two of us make our way there, and I want to make a purchase. Keep in mind, the two of us started joking with each other more, and opening up more. Similar to the conversation, we are escalated to the second floor. So many options, so much variety, and whatever caught my eye I picked up. As we progressed through the clothing pieces, his arm became a hanger.
He was gentleman to hold the clothing items that I was more than capable of holding. Something about the fact that he was following me and helping me, made him stand out. There are not a lot of guys who are willing to even step foot in a clothing store with a girl. First, time is actually made for me, he treated me to Starbucks, and now he is helping pick out clothing items. I pick out about eight pieces of clothing that I like that stuck to my style. Quick question and answers are traded with one of the nice ladies who worked there. She guides us to the dressing room, and I rush to try on each piece of clothing, stepping out into the giant mirror on the wall, letting the floor become my own runway. I rush back in, enjoying modeling some of the shirts, but I put on this one green dress, and it made my shape look super weird. I wasn’t feeling the way it had me looking or feeling. I turn to him, and ask him to go pick out something cute for me to wear. A few minutes go by, and I’m thinking to myself he wouldn’t even do it, and he comes back with a short black dress with no sleeves that was tight fitted on my petite figure. As soon as I tried it on, I loved it, I was the girl in the little black dress, and he seemed to like it too. I valued his opinion, after all he is someone who I trusted with a lot of things, my secrets, daily thoughts, and things you can’t tell a regular friend. We just had a bond that was so strong, that I didn’t have to filter anything I said to him.
I pack up my stuff, and I leave the other options on the hanger, including that dress I didn’t like. The black dress though, I knew I was going to get it, I had to. It was his word I believed, because he has never lied to me about anything at all. It could be the dumbest question or even a test, and he would flat out tell me the truth. I never had the idea that him and I could ever be so close to the fact that I put an outfit choice in his hands. An admiration for him and his characteristics I had no idea about developed for me. There was hardly ever tension between us, which is probably why the relationship was questioned by so many people. Him nor I owed any explanations, because we really didn’t have any ourselves. We are still super close to this day, and not much has changed except for that we have gotten even closer. I wouldn’t ask for a better guy to have as a best friend, because I know the one I have now has so many amazing characteristics to him that simply can’t be replaced. That day, the little black dress wasn’t the only thing I left with. I left with the feeling of knowing that my bond with him could not be broken.
In every group, there are people who have roles, the leaders and followers. There are people who are the followers, that do whatever the leader tells them and rely on the leader to make all of their decisions for them. This affects the followers negatively because they just rely on the leader which affects their individuality, and essentially making the decision about who they are. It doesn’t affect the leaders because they are the ones affecting the followers and telling them who to be, what to do and how to become what the leader wants them to be.
When I was younger, this happened to me a few times. In each of these situations, I was the same person. Even though I experienced this several times, I still didn’t know when to recognize the signs. “When an individual plays a part he implicitly requests his observers to take seriously the impression that is fostered before them. They are asked to believe that the character they see actually possesses the attributes he appears to possess, that the task he performs will have the consequences that are implicitly claimed for it, and that, in general, matters are what they appear to be.”
In elementary school, I had a best friend and her name was Anya. I had known her since we were babies and we had been best friends ever since then, at the time. We loved to do everything together and we were both young and impressionable. Whenever our class took trips or we went out for water ice on a hot day, I always got what she ordered because I couldn’t decide on what to get. This started to happen more often and with other things besides these, and it became harder for me to make decisions for myself. I guess she noticed this happening to me, and started to use this against me for her own benefit. We continued our elementary years like this, she would tell me what to do and I would do it for her. The only time I noticed what she was doing was when my mom told me, because I was so oblivious to it.
It was my first day back to school and I was finally in middle school. I noticed the new students that were going to be in my class and one of the new kids I recognized, it was a girl from my old elementary school. She recognized me too and as the weeks and months went by, we did almost everything together. One day she came up to me, pointed out that I always had my hair up, and told me to take it out. I told her that I really didn’t want to because it made me slightly uncomfortable, but she ignored that and forcefully grabbed my hair tie and pulled it out. She said she wouldn’t give it back unless I wore my hair down for the rest of the day, and I kept my hair down for the rest of the day. Every since that day, she saw how I reacted to her actions and kept doing things like that, but it started to become too much to the point where I would do something she didn’t like and she would tell me that she wasn’t my friend any more. After I would react to her statement, she would always claim that she was “just kidding” and that I should always take things so literally. From Flowers for Algernon, Charlie was in a similar situation. “I think it’s a good thing about finding out how everybody laughs at me. I thought about it a lot. It’s because I’m so dumb and I don’t even know when I’m doing something dumb. People think it’s funny when a dumb person can’t do things the same way they can.”
Freshman year of high school I wanted to be my own person and do things for myself, but it didn’t end up being like that. At first, I only knew a few people, but over time, they became friends and we stuck together. We would always hang out and go to the same place after school. After a while, I would just hang out with them because they would always ask if I could somewhere with them. But when I said no, they would just comment that I was no fun, as if they were almost stating those things on purpose so that I would change my mind. Of course because I wanted them to stop, I went with them, even though I really didn’t want to. We used to share things about ourselves and they would always make me go first, even though they knew I didn’t like to. After I said something, they would completely change the subject and not say anything. “Professional sports offer a big tent. It has room for racists, homophobes and misogynists as well as the people they hate. And hate or judgment would seem to represent a wall that the self-identified don’t want to hit. In the case of, say, a job application or a census report, reluctance can become principled refusal: My sexuality is none of my boss’s business.”
Morris, Wesley. "Why 'Self-Identifying' Is Different Than Coming Out." NY Times. N.p., 29 Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Jan. 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/magazine/why-self-identifying-is-different-from-coming-out.html>.
Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. 293. Print.
NBA v. WNBA
The sports industry is something that was always branded by the face of men for a long period of time. It was hard for women to come into this industry without issues pertaining to gender roles and the segregation between men and women. From this the WNBA was created which is the Women’s National Basketball Association. The identity of basketball has always been attached to the specimen of a male. The NBA was originally founded in the 1946 and 50 years later in 1996 the WNBA was founded. This means that the NBA is way older than the WNBA which made the sport of basketball molded in the image of just being a male’s sport. Women are trying to gain their own identity in the basketball industry which is very hard due to them using a male’s face of sport to boost their identity and wanting everyone to be supportive and acceptable to this.
The WNBA are still fighting to be viable in the society of sports. In areas like attendance of fans. The WNBA averages 7,318 fans in attendance to games whereas to the NBA, they average 17,319 in game attendance. New York Times explored the viewing WNBA games and have made observation stating: “But as its 20th season gets underway, the W.N.B.A.’s modest attendance and television viewership (just below 200,000 on ESPN’s networks last season) illuminate a stubborn imbalance between men’s and women’s professional leagues, adding to the expanding debate about the place of women’s sports in society.” The emphasis of gender identity is something that is still being put into place by woman in sports and also the players in the WNBA. One of the founders Adam Silver, which is now the NBA's commissioner quotes: “As much as we’ve done in lending the league our name,” he said, “the people who have been in the sports business for a long time, and I’m one of them, historically underestimated the marketing it takes to launch a new property.” This quote gave much insight on the understanding of how the WNBA are underestimated and they are not holding the fans attention into helping them create the identity of basketball. Even down to the salaries there is a major gap between the NBA and WNBA. The average NBA salary is $4.9 million whereas to the WNBA their salary averages to $72,000. That is no way near how much NBA players make. They would make over $1.5 million dollars overseas which is 15 times as much as they make now. WNBA players like Maya Moore, Skylar Diggins, and Swin Cash gain more money due to the endorsement they receive with many sports brands like nike, under armour, etc. The endorsements do not endorse all WNBA players which has many WNBA players questioned on to who they are and others not even knowing who they are. I asked several people in the SLA community, my family, and my friends if they could at least name three WNBA players off of the top of their head and same for the NBA. There was much hesitation to even name at least three WNBA players but when it came to the NBA, that was very natural off of the tongue. This ensures me off the identity of basketball and how us as a society are very informative with the NBA and knew players immediately when asked, but as for the WNBA it is very hard to even name at least one player or one team.
The identity of a woman is seen mostly with dance, the fashion industry, and also makeup and beauty. At a young age, I was not very interested in those things while growing up. I was like the tomboy/ a little girly type of girl. I was very sporty and involved with sports. In the fifth grade, I found my passion for basketball. I started out just learning how to even make one lay-up to now starting for my high school's basketball team. My inspiration to play has came from the WNBA and watching my favorite players like: Skylar Diggins, Maya Moore, and Elena Delle Donne. I became very attracted to watching the WNBA , but I found myself like society attending to watching more NBA than WNBA. I really don’t why it have dawned on me to do this especially because I am female that plays basketball. “Nobody discusses the WNBA. Nobody seems especially interested in the WNBA. If a basketball league falls in the summer and nobody cares, is it still a basketball league?”... Jeff Pearlman.
Bibliography:
Sandomir, Richard. "After Two Decades, WNBA Still Struggling For Relevance." The New York Times, 28 May 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
Pearlman, Jeff. "Why the WNBA Isn't -- and Will Never Be -- a Popular League." SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 16 June 2010. Web. 19 Jan. 2017. <http://www.si.com/nba/2010/06/16/wnba>.
Walters, John. "A Lawsuit from the U.S. Women's Soccer Team Reveals Deeper Issues with Gender Equity in Sports." Newsweek. Newsweek LLC, 02 June 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017. <http://www.newsweek.com/womens-soccer-suit-underscores-sports-gender-pay-gap-443137>.Introduction:
For my essay I wanted to talk about how cultural background affects on how you are viewed in society. My goal is for my classmates to understand how us different skin color different backgrounds are viewed and what opportunities we get. I enjoyed making this piece. The process was way different than I expected. I did not think
Essay:
Who would to say being born from 2 undocumented immigrants would be such a hassle. So much pressure on my shoulders, looking for opportunities they missed out on. Learning the dominant language in the country, english. Parents don’t even want to teach me about our culture-I mean their culture. Americanization is what decided my name, my mother and father thought Jonathan was a perfect name for a non-white kid could have to fit in in order meet their expectations. However they gave me their last name to also show I’m latino. Saldivar not pronounced saldvador or saldevar, etc. Jonathan or Johnny that’s what I go by now. Preferably Johnny. Your name is a white boy’s name, however your last name fits you well it has that spanish tone. Make up your mind, am I a latino or a wannabe white boy. At some point I would wear the same clothes everyday or at least pants and sweater. Everyone would questionly ask me “
Johnny why do you wear those clothes everyday?” That’s looking down on me, making me feel like more at a disadvantage. I remember reading an article talking about social standing in america and it asserts that “Many American immigrants imagine their new country to be a land of opportunity, but those opportunities, it seems, are not available to everyone equally.” I agree with the quote. I felt at a disadvantage because I’m not white, second where I am placed on the ladder of society. Mexicans, we are seen as immigrants, as minority's. The first phrase when people find out I’m mexican. “You’re an illegal immigrant! You’re latino? You must be mexican. You jumped the border?”
That’s only the beginning. My self esteem crumbled before my very eyes. Self esteem- confidence in one’s own worth or ability; self respect. I lost the respect I once had for myself. I eventually started making jokes about my culture, dressing in ridiculous clothing. I’m great at math, however I didn’t bother trying anymore. One of my teachers noticed a difference in me while being in the class. The teacher eventually came to me and pulled me to the side. “Johnny?” worriedly asked my teacher. “What? Is there something wrong?” I asked quietly. “Do you notice a difference in you?” I asked my teacher. “No not really.” I responded. “Johnny!” (Silence roamed the room.) “I can’t believe you don’t realize what’s wrong with you?” my teacher exclaimed. I raised my voice as I said a word within my sentence. “Why should I try in this class if I’m settled for a job as a gardener, or selling drugs. Better yet why am I even learning this language for christ sake, can I just speak like my parents. Also I’m sorry that I am not whi(te)-” I left the room before finishing my sentence. A sense of deja vu appeared. I once read the story of and some random kid quoted a sentence in the story. “Only I feel sorry because hes all alone and has no frends.” This quote reminded that some people are not offered the same education, some teachers may care to help everyone, however there are some that only helps those who they think will succeed. The kid didn’t have the best pronunciation, I don’t blame him since he’s also a minority.” This was the opportunity he got, he didn’t care about getting the best education like the rich kids got and take it for granted. There has been many definitions of the american dream. The most common one is everyone gets an equal opportunity to achieve success from hard, determination. This dream is false, hard work can lead to being stress, burning yourself out. He just wanted to learn even if it was a bad school, education will lead to better future. The american dream is not what it’s meant to be. I walked up to him because he clearly was talking about me. “Hey dude.” “Wat?” “I wanted to know if you wanted to hangout sometime” I asked shyly. “Shore” he responded. After that day I somewhat see myself becoming the guy who I once was. My friend was from the black community living in a beat up house. I felt bad for him. One day I was walking up to pay see him and these kids were talking badly about my friend so I decided to join the conversation that was happening between them. “This kid can barely speak english haha. No wonder your dad left when you were born. Now you’re stuck here being a nobody.” “Hey why are you talking to him like that? What's does it matter to you, you lowlife immigrant.” I wanted to help but I couldn't I was frozen. Staring at my friend getting tortured. I didn't have the confidence to step up.
Advanced Essay Bibliography Add when I get time
Introduction:
My goal for this essay is to explore who and what we are from a scientific and philosophical perspective, and make the reader think. For this essay, I think I had asked too much questions, but I couldn’t figure out another way to express these ideas and still make the readers think.
The real thing:
When someone is ask who they are as a person, they most likely respond with something like “My name is …...”, or it may be more specific. The answers are most likely along the line of race, gender, and whatever is special or different about them. But who we are is far more complex than what most people think.The question of who we are is far more than just the things that appeared on the surface.
Who are we really? Are we residing in our own body?
Our bodies are made of tens of trillions of cells, and many times more microbes live inside our body, organisms that aren’t us, that is. Our cells die at different rates, and when new cells are created, mutations can sometimes occur.
If the cells are mutated, are they still a part of us anymore? Are we still considered “us” with all these microbes living inside of us? Did that previous “us” die when our cells died?
When people have seizure, parts, even half of their brain with seizure can be removed, as a way to treat it. If people are able to live with half of their brain, so imagine this scenario: person A’s brain was taken out, each half of it was putted into person B and person C, two brainless bodies. Person A no longer exist, person B and person C are now both alive. Which one of them is person A now? Who owns everything person A used to own? If person A was married and have kids, who is person A’s spouse’s spouse, and who is person A’s children’s parent?
If a scientist were to make a clone of you, or change every single cell in you, which one is you?
Or maybe, we are not our physical body, but rather our DNA, we survive as our DNA survive. But what happens when mutations occur in our DNA, are we still us? Since our DNA passes down to our biological children, so are our children a part of us? But can multiple quantity of you exist at the same time?
Maybe, we are our consciousness. Consciousness is basically our awareness to our surroundings and what is going on around us. But who and what are we when we don’t have our consciousness? Are we something that is considered “unknown”? Do we still exist if we lose our consciousness? When we fall asleep, or how about before we have any consciousness, like when we are small babies; did we exist back then?
Are we what we remember ourselves as, our memories? But what if we don’t, what if we lost all our memories due to Amnesia, are we still us? How about when we don’t have any memory, like when we were little babies, who and what are we? If you remember yourself as, say a god, are you really a god then?
Are we still the same person as who we were yesterday? Are we going to be the same person as who we will be tomorrow? Have we died every night when we went to bed and reborned when we wake up the next day?
Or maybe, we are just bodies of thoughts that think we exist, but we don’t actually exist, and we are not real. Who knows.
But one thing we do know is, who and what we are is far more complex than what we thinks. As scientists and philosophers are still trying to figure out who and what we really are, here is one thing to be certain: you are you, whatever you think you are, your physical body, DNA, memories, consciousness, belief……. Whatever it might be, you are just you, doing your best to survive in this cold and cruel world.
More sources to watch + reference:
Crashcourse. "Personal Identity: Crash Course Philosophy #19." YouTube. YouTube, 27 June 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trqDnLNRuSc>.
WirelessPhilosophy. "PHILOSOPHY - Mind: Personal Identity (The Narrative Self) [HD]." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Feb. 2016. Web. 19 Jan. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcIqoN9oRgo>.
Vsauce. "What Is Consciousness?" YouTube. YouTube, 06 Jan. 2012. Web. 19 Jan. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjfaoe847qQ>.
