The government justifies making certain substances illegal by claiming that they are helping the public by eliminating something that can hurt them. The activity that we did in class showed that
some drugs that are illegal are much less harmful than some that are completely legal. If you take a look back to the history of illegal drugs, and at legal onces, such as nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine, you'll see that the legality of drugs is based on the government's economic and political interests.
A politician running for office and promising to "crack down on drugs" is going to automatically get votes from ignorant soccer moms. Politicians just say what the public wants to hear
; they are basically afraid to govern or campaign based off of personal opinion because of intense political competition and constant reelections.
Anyways, I think that all drugs should be legal. It's a person's own business what they put into their bodies. Public intoxication and ingestion of drugs should be illegal, though. I don't want to breathe anybody else's cigarette smoke and I wouldn't want my kids to see people doing lines a table over at restaurants. Not even so much to see them, but I wouldn't want intoxicated people
, off of anything, in the same place as my children.
But anyways, if the government's logic is that harmful things should be illegal, then alcohol and tobacco should be illegal as well. And why stop at drugs? When a little emo boy gets caught cutting his wrists, he should be tried as an adult and sent to prison. Am I right? He's harming himself and is therefor unfit for society. No, he gets counseling. Then why shouldn't a drug addict get counseling? Why should they be imprisoned and forced into potentially-dangerous withdrawal? But what if the drug user is content being a drug user? That's cool, too. Leave him alone, I say. If somebody isn't harming anyone, then it's nobody's business what they're doing.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager
This article left me amazed and amused by how far people will go to keep up the appearance that everything is okay. This girl nursed a child inside of herself for nine months only to give birth at her senior prom and dump the baby into a trash bag. Didn't she feel any type of maternal connection with the child after enduring the hardships of pregnancy for nine months? Or perhaps she was indirectly angry with the child due to the misfortunes that her pregnancy has brought upon her.
I find it very difficult to believe that this story is completely true. I just can't imagine the parents that watch their daughter go from zero to nine months of pregnancy without noticing anything. And if not them, at least her friends or teachers would have noticed something. And how about when she walks into the bathroom and walks out completely different? There are just too many variables to even consider this...
Next is the fact that she risked her own life and gave up the life of her child just to keep anybody from finding out that she was pregnant. If she had just told her parents, yes it would have been uncomfortable for a while, but at least she would not have had to kill her own child. I can't think of much worse than that...
The article also explained how the "teenage brain" and the "adult brain" do not exist, but rather, the brain is constantly developing and changing. There are just many common variables, mental and physical, that generally occur around certain time periods for people. I thought that this was common sense and needed no explanation. The body and mind have no idea how many calender years they are. They develop at their own, hormonally and environmentally-dictated pace. But laws are formed around ages because it would be practically impossible to measure maturity for every single individual.
I think that it's important to do what you feel comfortable doing at your age, because only you truly know what you're ready for. But be careful not to try and act "all grown up" when you're not. The consequences of failure could be permanent.
I find it very difficult to believe that this story is completely true. I just can't imagine the parents that watch their daughter go from zero to nine months of pregnancy without noticing anything. And if not them, at least her friends or teachers would have noticed something. And how about when she walks into the bathroom and walks out completely different? There are just too many variables to even consider this...
Next is the fact that she risked her own life and gave up the life of her child just to keep anybody from finding out that she was pregnant. If she had just told her parents, yes it would have been uncomfortable for a while, but at least she would not have had to kill her own child. I can't think of much worse than that...
The article also explained how the "teenage brain" and the "adult brain" do not exist, but rather, the brain is constantly developing and changing. There are just many common variables, mental and physical, that generally occur around certain time periods for people. I thought that this was common sense and needed no explanation. The body and mind have no idea how many calender years they are. They develop at their own, hormonally and environmentally-dictated pace. But laws are formed around ages because it would be practically impossible to measure maturity for every single individual.
I think that it's important to do what you feel comfortable doing at your age, because only you truly know what you're ready for. But be careful not to try and act "all grown up" when you're not. The consequences of failure could be permanent.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Aikido: The Way of Harmony of Energy
I thought that what Sal told us about Aikido very interesting. It really clicked when he showed an example using Jimmy as a mock attacker. I think that the basic principles of this martial art can be applied to everyday life. In Aikido, you use the negative energy of your attacker against them. While your own power may be limited, and not sufficient in overpowering your opponent, your opponent's own power is surely enough to overpower him, and drain him of his negative energy.
When you encounter a negative or difficult situation in life, you could, and sometimes should, try to face it head on; but you'll often be overpowered. But if you learn to manipulate situations in your favor, life becomes much easier. Basically, this is taking an advanced look on a "glass half full" mentality. This goes to show how some martial arts go far beyond the physical aspects and impact your entire life and how you live it.
When you encounter a negative or difficult situation in life, you could, and sometimes should, try to face it head on; but you'll often be overpowered. But if you learn to manipulate situations in your favor, life becomes much easier. Basically, this is taking an advanced look on a "glass half full" mentality. This goes to show how some martial arts go far beyond the physical aspects and impact your entire life and how you live it.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Dove Commercials - Self Image
I like what the Dove commercials are doing with promoting healthy self-image for females. When the models in the ads aren't even real people, you know that something is wrong. The face and body models in some commercials are so heavily altered that you literally could not find the same person in the world as in that ad.
Firstly, this sets unrealistic standards for gullible girls and women to try and reach. They then assume that they can reach those standards by purchasing the products being advertised. And obviously, the models most likely don't even use the products themselves. Just like when a celebrity is on T.V. talking about his "favorite" cereal. Meanwhile, the marketers are laughing all the way to the bank because they don't care who they hurt as long as they get paid.
And I don't blame them; it's their job. The take home point is that people need to educate themselves and realize that the law puts very few restrictions on what can and can not be said and shown in advertisements. People also need to realize that some people, including many celebrities, will do nearly anything if enough money is offered to them. Just like Michael Jordan says that he wears Hanes just because they pay him for it, models most often are promoting products for money and not because the products worked for them. And half of those models aren't even real people. They now have animated runway models. How crazy is that?
Also, models were never intentionally intended to represent the ideal physique. Fashion designers needed a canvas on which to present their creations and basically chose people who resemble clothing hangers. People need to realize this and stop looking up to people just because they are on T.V. or an magazine ad.
Firstly, this sets unrealistic standards for gullible girls and women to try and reach. They then assume that they can reach those standards by purchasing the products being advertised. And obviously, the models most likely don't even use the products themselves. Just like when a celebrity is on T.V. talking about his "favorite" cereal. Meanwhile, the marketers are laughing all the way to the bank because they don't care who they hurt as long as they get paid.
And I don't blame them; it's their job. The take home point is that people need to educate themselves and realize that the law puts very few restrictions on what can and can not be said and shown in advertisements. People also need to realize that some people, including many celebrities, will do nearly anything if enough money is offered to them. Just like Michael Jordan says that he wears Hanes just because they pay him for it, models most often are promoting products for money and not because the products worked for them. And half of those models aren't even real people. They now have animated runway models. How crazy is that?
Also, models were never intentionally intended to represent the ideal physique. Fashion designers needed a canvas on which to present their creations and basically chose people who resemble clothing hangers. People need to realize this and stop looking up to people just because they are on T.V. or an magazine ad.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Agents of Socialization
Throughout my life, many agents of socialization have influenced who I am today. Firstly, my family effected who I am the most. This incorporates my Ukrainian background, which gave me a different outlook on life. Living in Ukraine really contrasted cultural differences between life here and there.
I have lived in many places throughout my life, but every one has left an imprint on me. The people that I met and the experiences that I went through in every neighborhood shaped me. For example, when I lived in Skokie, I had to spend a lot of time alone, so I hung out with older kids around the neighborhood. This taught me to be more independent, watch my back, and not trust anybody. While those lessons may make it seem like my experiences in that neighborhood were negative, I actually had a great time; and those lessons were some of the most valuable that I've learned in my life.
I've gone to five different schools in my life and one thing that this taught me is that people everywhere are basically the same in how they think and how they react to situations. People in every school had different values, cliques, and taboos, but overall, people react very similarly to situations, no matter where they're from. This taught me to communicate well with people, be understood, and understand how people feel and what they're trying to say.
The media influences everybody, whether they admit it or not; there's practically no escaping it. Advertising is everywhere and while it may seem like a negative thing, the important thing is to think logically and not let advertising strategies dominate your mind. Make clear distinctions between what you really need and what you want. Because a common goal of advertising is to make you feel that you NEED something, when really, it would be just mildly convenient, or even completely useless.
On a side note, it was crazy to see how many different companies Disney and other conglomerates owned. I thought that Disney was just a kids' company, but they own companies that have nothing to do with children. This will make me think twice before picking up a Time magazine.
I have lived in many places throughout my life, but every one has left an imprint on me. The people that I met and the experiences that I went through in every neighborhood shaped me. For example, when I lived in Skokie, I had to spend a lot of time alone, so I hung out with older kids around the neighborhood. This taught me to be more independent, watch my back, and not trust anybody. While those lessons may make it seem like my experiences in that neighborhood were negative, I actually had a great time; and those lessons were some of the most valuable that I've learned in my life.
I've gone to five different schools in my life and one thing that this taught me is that people everywhere are basically the same in how they think and how they react to situations. People in every school had different values, cliques, and taboos, but overall, people react very similarly to situations, no matter where they're from. This taught me to communicate well with people, be understood, and understand how people feel and what they're trying to say.
The media influences everybody, whether they admit it or not; there's practically no escaping it. Advertising is everywhere and while it may seem like a negative thing, the important thing is to think logically and not let advertising strategies dominate your mind. Make clear distinctions between what you really need and what you want. Because a common goal of advertising is to make you feel that you NEED something, when really, it would be just mildly convenient, or even completely useless.
On a side note, it was crazy to see how many different companies Disney and other conglomerates owned. I thought that Disney was just a kids' company, but they own companies that have nothing to do with children. This will make me think twice before picking up a Time magazine.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Human Nurture - Feral Children
Learning about feral children, and especially seeing the video of the feral girl from Ukraine who was raised by dogs and adopted their traits, made me realize just how much of our human behavior is learned. The girl walked around on all fours and even panted. Dogs pant because they can't sweat; that girl had sweat glands, but just chose to pant. You'd think that something like that is natural, but apparently even panting is learned behavior.
It's also interesting that once brought back into society, they began re-adapting quickly. But the feral children were still most comfortable acting like they were raised. This shows us that after the first five or so years of one's life, their brain stops absorbing information at the rate that it had done so earlier.
It's also interesting that once brought back into society, they began re-adapting quickly. But the feral children were still most comfortable acting like they were raised. This shows us that after the first five or so years of one's life, their brain stops absorbing information at the rate that it had done so earlier.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tuesdays With Morrie - Love
On one hand, I think that American culture often frowns upon expressions of affections as it shows weakness and goes against what a "man" should be. Refer to Red Forman for an example of what the proper American "man" should be like.
On the other hand, I believe that many people overuse the word "love." People will express their love to somebody that they've been dating for two weeks all the time. People yell about how much they love a singer or an actor. Infatuation is often mistaken for love.
"Romantic love" can be defined while true love can not. Speech is a man-made creation and words describe things that all mean the same thing to people; cold is cold and warm is warm to everybody. Ask anybody on the street to define love and every person's definition will be different, that is, if they are even able to come up with one. I think that we are "afraid" of love largely because it is different for everybody and thus, so difficult to discuss. It is almost taboo to openly discuss the intricities of love.
On the other hand, I believe that many people overuse the word "love." People will express their love to somebody that they've been dating for two weeks all the time. People yell about how much they love a singer or an actor. Infatuation is often mistaken for love.
"Romantic love" can be defined while true love can not. Speech is a man-made creation and words describe things that all mean the same thing to people; cold is cold and warm is warm to everybody. Ask anybody on the street to define love and every person's definition will be different, that is, if they are even able to come up with one. I think that we are "afraid" of love largely because it is different for everybody and thus, so difficult to discuss. It is almost taboo to openly discuss the intricities of love.
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