Reflective Essay Final

1. Blogging: How has blogging as a writing medium changed the way you write, think, or think about writing? 
2. Statistics: If you check out your blog's "Stats" page to follow your readership, what information do you learn about your audience? What posts have gotten the most/least views—and what does that suggest to you? 
3. Inspiration: Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?

     Blogging was an entirely new experience for me this year.  Although I've had Sutherland's class before as a freshmen, this class took an unexpected yet interesting turn on exposing us to important current issues and improving our own literacy.  In the brief reunion I've had with Sutherland's teaching habits, I feel as though I haven't dramatically improved yet as a writer in the course of one semester through blogging.  This might be because of a lack of criticism on my blog posts to actually improve my writing contrary to the feedback I'm used to receiving from past teachers.  Though I understand reading and thoughtfully critiquing hundreds of posts can be a daunting task for one teacher.  Differentials between blogging and other learning methods could have been reasons as to why I feel as though I could potentially excel more.  Blogging is definitely something different to the norms of progression/learning in an English class.  Be it as it may, I've had the pleasure of using blogging as a medium for my writing first semester.  Blogging has been a fresh new way of expressing ideas aimed at a collective community of my peers.  In the process, it has introduced me to new ways of writing and like-minded people I can connect with.  I've already noticed a steady improvement in certain aspects of my writing from blogging and have taken the initiative to take new steps in how I can convey ideas more concisely.


1.  I think the very first post I made towards the beginning of the school year, Nothing To Lose, really speaks out as to who I was as a writer and initially how I felt about the blogging process upon returning to school.  At the time when I was pondering what I wanted to post, I came across this video I had seen before and thought of it as my own introduction and depiction of my interest of getting to know people including new and familiar faces:

"After watching this video, I realized just how critical it is to break the ice and reach out to someone that you can talk to.  Even the most minuscule of conversations can be considered a treasured experience or window into that person's life.  I hope maybe in some way this video will inspire all you seniors to try and make an engaging conservation with someone you don't know."

  Of course I took my own advice and I actually became comfortable conversing with a couple of people I didn't normally talk to before.  They were people who shared curiosity about our world.  Occasionally, we dabbled our way into complex conversations during group discussions in our class. Since our posts would be viewable by anyone, in particular people of our class, I wanted to make a good impression based on my writing and provide interesting content relative to what other students were posting about.  You could say I was a bit self-conscious since the very beginning of posting, but to no extent would I let that interfere with expressing thoughts that I don't normally share with friends.  I also noticed I developed a tendency to assume my reader (Yes, you!) is my classmate as I did just earlier when I said "our class".  Unfortunately, whoever isn't in Mr. Sutherland's class will probably have no idea why I'm blogging or even who this Sutherland person is!  I developed this mentality that my main audience would just be my classmates, but this couldn't be farther from the truth.


2.  According to my Blogger statistics, I've accumulated 210 views overall so far and what I found most surprising is that a number of my viewers come from users worldwide--some in far off countries like, Latvia, Australia, Greece, Poland, U.K, Germany, and Indonesia, which is a very provocative idea. My most visited post was a two part movie review I did on the movie Drive, while my least visited was a rant I did concerning terrorism, The Real Terrorists, which was published close to the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  Well, hopefully, the views don't imply people these days are more concerned about movie opinions than what I felt was an introspective to how America can be seen as a terrorist to other countries.  Jokingly aside, when I did write the first part to The Real Terrorists, I felt as if I was obligated to convey feelings about America based on what I've learned about American History and its mistakes.  My writing seemed brooding and contained pent-up feelings I felt about the country I was living in. In contrast, the movie review I did on Drive was very casual, maybe a bit humorous.  I was delighted to ridicule a movie that I disliked and paid to see on the silver screen.  All in all, I'm just glad someone took the time to actually read from my perspective.  Who knows, maybe my views are mostly people just passing by my blog than actually reading my posts.  Either way, I appreciate the thought that some people took the time to see it.  I think knowing that you have an audience or simply being aware that your thoughts are being noticed is enough incentive to continue writing be it someone you know or a complete stranger. 




3.  Throughout all my years as a student, I've never had the opportunity to have access to such a large amount of my peers' writing and thoughts nor be able to respond with my own ideas directly without having to deal with face to face interaction.  Through writing responses, I found myself being able to process my own thoughts consistently and express them without falter as I would in person.  Blogging also became a major opportunity for me to see what people my around my age were writing, thinking, and talking about on a weekly basis.  I derived most of my topics based on what my classmates were blogging about including class discussions.  I'd say what inspires me to write is writing about something I've mulled about, but never had the chance to talk about.  Topics that are meaningful to me that's worth writing and the possibility that I can engage in deep conversations with others that feel the same way  is enough reason to continue writing.  Seeking recognition for your thoughts has also been an inspiring factor.  I was especially delighted, when my own English teacher decided to use a piece of my own writing as an example.  Most inspiring, however, continues to be my classmates themselves.  


Blogging and being aware that my content could be read, alone has made me more self-conscious about writing fluency, clarity, and word choice.  I often find myself reading posts twice over only to realize I made a grammatical error after publishing and then frantically fixing it.  Quite frankly, I was also surprised and impressed at how well some of the students in my class can articulately express themselves, a trait which I envy.  I've actually gone through lengths to expand my vocabulary in order to keep up with a few of my classmates by keeping track of unfamiliar words I come across and reading more books whenever I have free time. I've become more welcoming to other ideas from reading my classmates' output and hearing what people have to say on certain issues as well.  Thus, I take a great deal of consideration of what I write from them.  


Blogging this past semester, I've realized just how much potentially I could grow in my writing. That through practice, dedication, and more importantly my own desire to become a stronger writer and intellectual is essential to my continued academic growth.  I'm very much grateful to have been able to utilize a modern way of expressing ideas.  Although because of Mr. Sutherland's leaving I may not blog as much, I can assure that I plan on continuing to strive in literacy with the knowledge he left us. 


I'm going to miss Mr. Sutherland along with his presence in the classroom.  I can recall his enthusiasm and enjoyment for teaching my freshmen and the beginning of senior year in which I still consider him by far one of the most vibrant teachers to have impacted my learning experience at AHS.  To me, he introduced and re-thought the common methods of learning in the classroom, opened new ways of thinking, and reminded us that there important questions we should be asking ourselves concerning the complex world we live in.  Although its fills me with melancholy to see him off, I hope he finds a welcoming wherever he decides to teach in the future.

  

[CE] 1 Marine vs. 30 Cops

United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY went toe to toe with the New York Police Department. An activist in the Occupy Wall Street movement, Thomas voiced his opinions of the NYPD police brutality that had and has been plaguing the #OWS movement.

Thomas comes from a long line of people who sacrifice for their country: Mother, Army Veteran (Iraq), Step father, Army, active duty (Afghanistan), Grand father, Air Force veteran (Vietnam), Great Grand Father Navy veteran (World War II).

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I feel about this video.  I can definitely sense the underlining frustration Thomas feels behind his words and considering his long family history of serving the military, I'd say his anger is quite justified. The accounts of police brutality in New York are very much real and startling to say the least.  Lawrence O'Donnell did a segment on the police brutality that transpired during the Occupy Wall Streets movement which I highly recommend anyone to see here.  Both O'Donnel and Thomas seem to question the morality and integrity of the police force today.  The question is whether the police are really here to serve/protect the people or comply only to wealthy, including corporate bigwigs of Wall Street.  Although their messages are presented with great vigor and I would full heartily agree with them, I know the police force must have their own perspective on the matter that I'm not hearing despite their silence in the video. 

I'm glad that the Occupy Wall Street is receiving the social media attention it deserves.  Hopefully, as long as protesters remain peaceful and resilient, these police brutality cases will only strengthen the movement.   Perhaps the crimes of the police will also be brought to the public's attention, crimes nonetheless committed against the American people they're sworn to protect.

[Free] Party Problems

Saturday morning, my very close friend/partner called and asked me whether I would be willing to do a public gig with him in San Francisco.  Although hesitant at first, he warmed me up to the idea and I went.  Normally, I'm opposed to running a show publicly because I have no idea how many people will show up and in the past we've had issues dealing with a large crowd.  I tend to be more self-conscious about what I do on stage or whether I have good chemistry with a large audience.  Also, a majority of the people we've preformed for are actually older than me, usually up to 7-10 years older, which at times can be very intimidating.  

Secondly, we usually allow people to crowd around us, so on occasions it has gotten pretty rambunctious on stage. Initially, I've had to individually encase our computers with plastic wrap because I tend to sweat profusely through my palms, but now we've needed to go to more lengths to protect our tech and not just my disgusting sweating habits.  In the few public shows, people have knocked down or accidentally spilled drinks on our equipment.  We've actually have had to end a show prematurely because we couldn't function under such hectic circumstances.  It's a major bummer to disappoint the people who attended.  Now we've both been considering regulations and rules as to what people can do onstage without restricting having fun.  In some cases, we've resorted to bubble wrapping some of the equipment and allowing no drinks.  It's actually has gotten quite fun for us to come up with our own solutions to problems and see how things turn out.

I actually had a really great time preforming in front of maybe over 200 people (which is a LOT more than what I'm used to).   I think coming up with those solutions have put less stress on my mind during performances and worrying about our equipment, so I can better concentrate on the music. Slowly, I'll be easing myself into performing at larger parties.

[Free] A Creed of Greed

Capitalism: A Love Story has brought many problematic issues in our government to my attention.  In particular, the segment in which Micheal Moore asked a bishop whether or not Jesus would approve of capitalism. 

Having grown up in a Christian family, I was educated under the basic premise of Christianity and good morals.  Although I don't consider myself a Christian anymore, I believe capitalism is intrinsically an evil system that goes simply contrary to the teachings of Jesus.  I would think that principles taught in every religion seem to directly oppose the principles of capitalism in that it promotes competition in the free market and corporate greed.  Here in the U.S., I cogitate whether we have lost sight of the original goal and purpose of capitalism, the idea that it's the best system because it raises the standard of living.  Currently, our standard of living is deteriorating even though our capitalistic system seems proficient in keeping the rich wealthier and the poor living in worsening conditions.

Essentially, capitalism continues to play on man's biggest flaw in that we become corrupted by greed.  It's uncanny that the majority of the U.S. demographic consider themselves Christian; approximately 76% according to Wikipedia.  You would think Christians would prefer socialism or at least communist idealism.  I would say socialism promotes well-being, general care, and helping other people.  In contrast, if you're working on developing on your soul and being a good person, capitalism constantly throws obstacles in your way.  Of course each type of economic system has its own pros and cons. 

[Re] Green, but not so peaceful

 I attended the Greenpeace protest that Brandon Ng held during lunch yesterday and overall, I felt like we brought awareness to the issue of finding clean and sustainable energy to our school, even if it was in a small way.  Rarely do you ever see prudent students, especially from our school, who are willing to stand up for a noble cause and take responsibility for our environment.  Perhaps, this is within correlation to Sutherland's question of when students would be aggravated enough to voice their own opinions publicly (especially the Wall Street Protests).  However, the night before, I was a bit skeptical of how the protest would turn out after reading Adam's post concerning the message Greenpeace is trying to promote and its tendencies to use civil disobedience to defend the environment.

Adam says: "GreenPeace is somewhat known to be a bit radical and act in extreme ways, some of you may have seen or heard of the show Whale Wars. To get a result you have to put in a effort of just as much value. The fact that they were attacked after poking around a nuclear testing site shows that GreenPeace will not shy away from any problem that is potentially disastrous towards our home, Earth... I'm finding it hard to find the legality of the radical measures taken by certain members of GreenPeace."

Almost immediately, I was turned off by the mere mention of Whale Wars. As I recall, the television series has received its own criticism and scrutiny for utilizing direct action sabotage against Japanese whalers.  Despite the great reviews the show received for the first season,  the Sea Shepherds on "Whale Wars" have done very little to protect whales where they need protection.  The WWF estimates that 90% of non-natural whale deaths are due to collisions with ships, followed by "by-catch," whales becoming caught in nets, and then lastly, by fishing.  Unlike the aggressive interference Sea Shepherds, changes in shipping lanes around the world and the development of new technologies are making a real difference in reducing the number of whales who die needlessly.  Critics claim that the show is a cheap exploitation in praise of what is nothing less than eco-terrorism and glorification of vigilantism on the high seas.  The show's controversy was even spoofed by South Park in an episode called "Whale Whores" which condemned both the whalers themselves and the activists that fought against them.

Greenpeace was originally formed to protest nuclear power testing and development and  gained attention by creating “mind bombs” or strong, visual messages displaying their position on complex environmental issues.  However, their methods and how much the organization has managed to accomplish over the past years has come into question. The organization has approximately lost 2 million members in the past ten years. One of its most prominent critics is Patrick Moore, one of the founders of the group, who now criticizes the organization for being anti-science after his leave.  Greenpeace has also notably received negative feedback on its main site for taking credit in the endeavor to end Japanese whaling which they allegedly took no part of.

 Like Adam, I too would be hesitant in taking radical measures that would certainly be difficult to justify.  I would prefer taking more peaceful alternatives to send a message rather than use drastic measures.  Although I may have a distaste for Greenpeace, I'm still glad I was able to participate in a protest with peers that shared equal concerns for our environment's future.

[Free] Everythings Amazing & Nobodys Happy

 Louis C.K. is one of my favorite stand-up comedians.  Although sometimes his humor can be a bit crude or vulgar, I think he goes where comedians don't dare to go and he consistently brings great new material that I find hilarious.  In this clip Louis describes to Conan how we may take technology for granted:


"Everything is amazing and nobody is happy" by Meowbay

I find this somewhat true because I find people will often complain and exaggerate the most minuscule problems in their life.  Sometimes we need to take a breather from our technology, drama, and hectic work schedules to really appreciate what we have.  People will often say you don't truly know the value of something until you lose it and I definitely believe that.  Whenever I'm caught up in my work, I find going out running near the Harbor Bay Business Park to be very scenic, relaxing, and I become more grateful that I grew up in such a nice environment.  In general, just being thankful is a way to obtain happiness in life.

I find this quote from Lucrezia L to be incredibly accurate:

"I don't like making comparisons between this and that generation. You just can't do it, because every age is characterized by different trends and political, cultural or social movements. The political and social backgrounds are always different. So, in my opinion, making comparisons and saying ''that was better than this'' is wrong. And if you want to do it, you have to support your thesis with facts, not with empirical impressions."

 I believe we can't keep judging generations that come after us.  I definitely feel spoiled because I'm aware that there are other people my age who are less fortunate than me.  Quite frankly, I'm fed up and annoyed by people who continue to accuse this generation of sucking or that music today is nothing compared to previous years. We all have our own opinions and taste in music. There's no need to shame an entire generation based off mainstream music your growing up with or because not everyone finds your taste in music appealing.

 Here's a quote from Brenda T:

"It is ridiculous what parents are buying for five year olds nowadays. Most kids these days have DS Lites, Wii’s, iTouches, cell phones, and the list goes on. When I was a kid, I was lucky if my parents gave me the Gameboy Color or the Nintendo 64."

 Naturally, humans will always want the most advanced technology.  There's some beauty in that because we tend to have higher expectations growing up, society will makes greater advancements in technology to meet those prospects.  With each new generation comes hypocritical criticism from the generation that precedes it.   It's ridiculous in that we make assumptions and say the new generation is spoiled, when the generation before us can use the same argument and accuse us of being spoiled with whatever things they didn't grow up with that we did.

Here's a quote from Andrew Z:

"What happened to playing outside? What about playing with Legos, or stuffed animals? What happened to imagination? In the past decade, too many things have changed. We grew up with Legos, Barbie, and board games. They grew up with computer games, television, and Eminem. smh"

If you hate this generation, try changing it, or even inspiring it. Help set the trends that the next generation can look up to and be proud of.  Make the things you loved as a child cool to the next generation instead of lecturing your generation is better.

[Monthly Essay] Superficial Obsession

"Retailers defend the approach to hiring based on image as necessary and smart, and industry experts see the point.  In today's competitive retail environment, the methods have changed for capturing the consumers' awareness of your brand, " said Marshall Cohen, a senior industry analyst with the NPD Group, a market research firm. "Being able to find a brand enhancer, or what I call a walking billboard, is critical. It's really important to create an environment that's enticing to the community, particularly with the younger, fashionable market.  A guy wants to go hang out in a store where he can see good-looking gals."

 Hiring someone based on appearances is nothing new in marketing and advertising.  It's a common business technique that allows companies to find someone who fits their brand or image and can sell their product.  Not only is this approach utilized in the retail environment, but many other industries like restaurants, sports, and the media all seem to pride themselves in projecting a certain image.  Marshall Cohen presents a valid argument that competitive companies often resort to this technique to attract customers. When making money is the highest prerogative, choosing the best candidate that can represent a company is well within reason. Companies should be able to hire people who can project their image; however, by no means should they discriminate against ethnicity or race.

 In today's society,  a product must grab your attention within a small margin of allocated time. Advertising and commercials, especially for the Super Bowl, can cost millions while only lasting thirty seconds.  It is within this transient time frame that marketers must target their clientele. The same could be said with an employee of any profession.  The attractiveness or appeal of a "walking billboard" can give extra incentive for the consumer to become interested in the product they represent. Although the presented product is crucial to its success, people are often enticed by appearances.

  In many cases, restaurants will be particular about who they hire to maintain an authentic atmosphere and a sex dominated industry.  Restaurant employers may only hire certain race that complements a cultured style of food.  These hiring practices are primarily noticeable in ethnic/chain restaurants.  Panda Express is notorious for providing unequal opportunities and discrimination in their workforce.  Former Panda Express employee, Aremy Lomely, is part of a federal court filing suit against a San Jose Panda Express restaurant that allegedly forced Latino employees to clean toilets and perform other menial tasks while Asian employees of equal ranking stood by and watched.

Lomely told the Oakland Tribune:

 "I felt so ashamed when the Asians workers watched me obediently run from the bathroom to the tables to the counters, cleaning when they did not have to."

 According to the suit, the manager of the restaurant also punished Latino employees harshly, frequently cutting Latino employee hours and awarding them to Asian employees instead.  Restaurants will often do this for not just discrimination purposes, but also to give an impression that the place sells authentic food.  Since Panda Express serves American Chinese cuisine, hiring someone with an Asian background rather than someone of a different ethnicity enforces the image of the food it's selling.  Workers of different ethnicity may be limited to only working in the back of the restaurant because they don't present the desired image. 

As women try to secure restaurant jobs that could provide them with higher wages and job stability, they face sex discrimination in hiring, promotions, and compensation.  Sex discrimination doesn't fall far behind in the restaurant business.  An University of Pennsylvania study found that in 68 of New York City’s most expensive and elite restaurants, roughly one-third of these restaurants do not hire women for server positions even though there was an available pool of female servers. Another study of 65 high-priced restaurants in Philadelphia had similar findings; the study conducted a “test” and sent 130 comparably qualified pairs of men and women to apply for server jobs.  The report showed that even though the female applicants were as qualified as the male applicants, they experienced discrimination in obtaining interviews and being hired.  I believe that this may be because the restaurant business has traditionally been run and dominated by men.  The shift in gender roles is somewhat alarming and not openly accepted image in many industries and society.

Adolescent girls are also increasingly becoming more conscious about their body in today's media.  Images of female bodies are being used everywhere from selling food to cars.  Popular film and television actresses are more noticeably younger, taller, and thinner.  Unhealthy standards of beauty are being imposed on women, the majority of whom are naturally larger and more mature than any of the models who starve themselves to achieve this image.  The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc, says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. The pressure to be thin is also affecting young girls: the Canadian Women's Health Network warns that weight control measures are now being taken by girls as young as 5 and 6.  American statistics are similar.  Economically, by presenting an ideal that is difficult to maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits.

As an endorser, Tiger Woods is a prime example of how maintaining a strong positive image is important to the sports industry.  Since his alleged extramarital affair, Woods has lost up to $22 million in sponsorships with large shareholders like Nike and Gatorade.  Despite Tiger Woods still being one of the world’s highest paid athletes, his name and reputation will forever be tarnished.  His damaged reputation is something businesses and products don't want to be associated with.  We all make mistakes in our lives, but because Tiger Woods is an established professional golf player who profits from representing an image, many companies will see him as undesirable with a tainted image.

Personally, when I go shopping, I tend to be more focused on the product rather than looking for eye candy.  Although in the long-term, I am more likely to shop at a store that has a friendly environment or employees that leave a good impression.  Society is affixed with different standards of beauty.  While using attractive people in business can be deemed morally wrong, it has continuously brought in income.  Industries will continue to disregard work ethics in exchange for profits because it works.  I don't think these businesses need to change; rather, people need to change.  If we represent a more educated and tolerant society, it is our own responsibility as consumers to know when stores are being selective or discriminating.  The reality is that America has many diverse ethnic backgrounds.  Our population is not solely comprised of one race; America has many faces. If these companies aren't willing to advance from old traditions, we should be able to choose whether they continue to thrive.