The weekly assignment consists of five parts:
1) Read "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace.
2) Take Cornell Notes on the reading. I will collect these notes on Friday in class.
3) Find another credible source on the internet that connects to the reading above. You should try to find a source on your policy issue so that it can work for this blog post and contribute to your research. Almost any social issue can connect to the theme of the speech.
4) After you read the source that you find, answer the following questions as a blog entry below:
- Write a summary sentence for the text you found.
- How does the text connect to that week’s topic or to the other text you have read?
- What evidence do you have that the text you found is credible?
- Does the author present strong evidence to support his/her argument? Provide an example.
- Create a short synthesis paragraph on the one of the texts and your text.
Keep in mind that everyone else will see what you write below, so please keep it professional. This post is due Thursday, 1/10, by 12:00am.
5) Come to class on Friday ready to discuss the reading and the text you found!
If you need support or have questions, my office hours are Monday and Wednesday from 3:15-4:15 in Room 229.
Bullying spans across the nation. Because of this, Sioux City, Iowa experienced a tragedy. In “Iowa town wrestles with aftermath of 'Bully' documentary”, by Kyle Munson, the severe consequences of bullying are exposed. After a child was threatened by a bully, a film was made which exemplified the epidemic that bullying has become in Iowa; nonetheless making Iowa seem as if their bullying problem is worse than other states.
ReplyDeleteThis source is credible because it comes from USA Today News; a news broadcasting who present their news to a huge audience. If a source they present is not credible, that could damage their reputation and could also cause them to have a smaller audience. This news source also vies with “The Wallstreet Journal”. If they publish a source that is unreliable, they are not only jeopardizing their own news broadcast, but they are jeopardizing the chance to be a better news source than “The Wallstreet Journal”. Given that US Today News is published across the entire nation, doing this will not fall in favor of them.
The bullies showcased in the film made it clear that they relied on their default setting. In the case of Kaleb Grass, his bully put a blade to his throat and made several threats to him. Not once did she stop to think how her actions would affect him; she just did what she did because she felt like doing it. Her day could’ve been going wrong. Maybe she got detention. "These kids aren't (bullying) for the fun of it…There's something going on in their lives,” as stated by Amick-Hall. Therefore, she decided to do something that amused her which resulted in a film showcasing bullies and the victims. Gass is not the only student to experience bullying. There were also the cases of Alex and Desirre amongst the others mentioned.
Bullies don’t think “what if that person is having an even worse day than me?” or “what if that person commits suicide because of my actions?” Their default setting, as explained by David Foster Wallace in “This is Water”, “is to be deeply and literally self-centered, and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self” (1). Interpretation in the lens of others was not taken into consideration; not by the bullies nor the adults responsible in this case. It took Sioux City Community Schools superintendent, Paul Gausman, to realize that he “fail[ed] his students AFTER he saw the film. However, Assistant Principle of the school Alex Libby attended, Kim Lockwood, doubted Libby’s report of being bullied despite the evidence before the film was created. Like Gausman, Lockwood also failed her kids. After the film, Lockwood stated, “It's been hell she [Hate mail has streamed in…She hasn't spoken to the Bully filmmakers since the film's premiere] If I end up dead, they'll have to live with it."
This is why the idea of modifying our default setting needs to be put into action immediately. Although Wallace doesn’t present his argument in an aggressive tone, his idea needs to be known and applied to everyone. If these students and teachers had a different way of thinking of others, these events could’ve been prevented. Not just there, but in other places and schools where bullying is a huge problem.
The article I read this week was, "How the NRA wields its influence" by Tom Watkins. This text is about the NRA's fight with the United States government to prevent the creation of anti-gun laws. This text connects to "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace because NRA adversaries see this institution as a selfish group of individuals that would rather have fire arms than public safety. However, Wallace discusses self-centeredness in his speech and how we always see others as selfish when the opposite could be true and we are just being stubborn. Anti-gun law rhetoric in the wake of the Newtown Massacre seems selfish, but we can't assume that the obvious is true in this case. The NRA might have legitimate reasons, like protecting our second amendment right to bear arms, and protecting this right for U.S. inhabitants doesn't seem selfish at all. In fact it makes NRA adversaries seem selfish themselves because they are placing their worship of safety over the NRA's efforts to protect the integrity of the second amendment.
ReplyDeleteThis article is credible because it was published on CNN's website, a prestigious news organization, and was written by Tom Watkins, a decorated journalist. CNN is a company that has built its image on credibility. Any deviation from its credible past would threaten CNN's pristine image. In addition, Watkins has been working for CNN since 1990 and as an employee there he has won many awards, such as a Peabody. A Peabody is a huge honor in the journalist world and gives one an idea of the caliber of journalist Watkins is, which suggests that his article on the NRA is credible.
Watkins argues that the NRA has an uncanny ability to manipulate the government. He supports his argument with strong evidence in the form of examples. He writes about how in the 1990s a, "small portion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget went to a program headed by Dr. Mark Rosenberg that funded two high-profile studies that concluded the risks of having a loaded gun in the home outweigh the benefits"(1). However in 1996, "the NRA successfully pushed for legislation that effectively ended Rosenberg's program"(1). The fact that the NRA successfully lobbied against a government agency, the CDC, by convincing federal law makers to end Rosenberg's program shows that the NRA is all mighty. The departments and agencies of the government can't even rely on the government to protect them because of the NRA's dominance in Washington D.C. Therefore, this example illustrates how ridiculous the NRA's power in government is.
We shouldn't assume that the NRA is an evil organization with selfish purposes because of Watkins's implicit writing. He describes the NRA's suppression of anti-gun legislation as a "chilling effect"(1). Once anti-gun rhetoric begins to boil, especially after a tragedy like the one in Newtown, the NRA begins to work its magic on congress. According to Wallace, we should be less self-centered and approach our thoughts about the NRA with a different perspective. Suppose that the NRA is the main stakeholder in this situation and it is simply protecting the 2nd amendment, the foundation of its existence. Most people would agree that the NRA has a right, like any other institution, to defend itself. Now that we can sympathize with the NRA we can see the positive things it's doing for us. It is protecting our 2nd amendment so that it isn't tarnished by restricting laws such as an assault weapons ban. Watkins's article supports the type of "selfish thinking" that Wallace warns against. If one takes Wallace's advice and doesn't envision oneself as the main stakeholder in this anti-gun law predicament, one can stop being a slave to one's worship of public safety. Watkins's writing suggests he worships public safety and through this logic he would free himself of this worship if he considered the NRA as a useful institution instead of attacking it.
The article I found this week is called “Beware Of The Comeback” of rent control. It talks about if rent control truly is a good policy to introduce with the stress of this housing market. It connects to this weeks reading of “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace because the idea that some houses are rent stabilized while others are not makes you believe that it is unfair and selfish that your apartment is not protected from rising rents. Ultimately making rent control seem like the best solution for this housing market. However the housing authorities could have a legitimate reason for not letting your house be stabilized. It should not always be about you and your problems you may have to pay a higher rent than others but whose to say that others don’t need it more? With the shortage of subsidized housing it is only fair that only those who need it most get access to it.
ReplyDeleteThis article is credible because it derives from the news organization The Atlantic Cities. The Atlantic cities is a news organization who has a reputation with news and they would not allow something that’s not true to be published. To add on to that the article was written by Peter A. Tatian who is a senior research associate in the Urban Institute's Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center. This means he researches this topic for a living therefore he should know what he is writing about. Therefore this article is definitely credible.
Tatian argues talks about how the housing market is in a tight squeeze and there is a need for a type of reform. He goes on to say that the removal of rent control would benefit tenants he says “A National Bureau of Economic Research paper also examined the Cambridge experience and concluded that “elimination of rent control added about $1.8 billion to the value of Cambridge’s housing stock between 1994 and 2004” What he is focusing on is the amount of money but he forgets about everything else. The tenants who have rent stabilized apartments depend on that price and know what to expect when it comes to the rent. He also says “A study of rent stabilization in Cambridge, for example, concluded that “the poor, the elderly, and families—the three major groups targeted for benefits of rent control—were no more likely to be found in controlled than uncontrolled units.”. From the lesson of “This Is Water” you could see that hes trying to argue that these people who don’t fall under this category are selfish but who's to say that they don’t need those apartments? They could be paying for a child’s medical expenses so the apartment that is rent stabilized could help them stay afloat in this economy So one should not judge so quickly upon them.
Therefore we should not assume that rent control is ineffective because of a group of people but it should be decided by the way that it helps people socially. Tatian is as Wallace said
in his “default setting” and he not opening his mind to the possibilities. The Cambridge’s housing stock is not what should be focused on but instead the effect that it has on the people should be what’s placed under the microscope because in the end they’re the real stakeholders and it affects them the most. The feeling have having rental security and having a clear set price from the beginning of the month until they decide to move this is consciously thinking and is the best way to expand your mind so in the end rent stabilization should make a comeback for the poor and the rich alike. It’s for anyone who needs it.
“This is Water” by David Foster Wallace explains how us as humans are always in this default setting which everything is self-centered. You only think about your self, your reasons and you're just in your own universe most of the time where you have no time to put yourself in somebody elses shoes. “Judge Finds NYPD Routinely Makes Unconstitutional Street Stops Outside Clean Halls Buildings Across the Bronx.” From the New York Civil Liberties Union ( NYCLU) explains how a U.S. District Court judge ruled the Stop and Frisk unconstitutional of innocent stops being made in public areas and private buildings in the Bronx. The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) was founded in 1951. They are a not-for-profit nonpartisan organization, and their mission is to defend and promote the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, the U.S. Constitution, and the New York Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality and due process of law for all New Yorkers.This victory came in part from the New York Civil Liberties Union, The Bronx Defenders, LatinoJustice PRLDEF and the law firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP challenging the NYPD’s enforcement of Operation Clean Halls which allows police officers to participate in the stops of innocent people of private apartment buildings. These stops have “risen to the level of deliberate indifference.” On the contrary we can see how these organizations have stepped out of their default setting in order to help the minorities being discriminated against. We as Citizens should act and fight for community rights, not only rights that benefits us. As Wallace said “hard- wired default setting ... literally self-centered, and to see and interpret everything through the lens of self.” On the other hand, Al Sharpton is known for a controversial political activist who fights against racial prejudice and injustice. Al Sharpton is another person who has marched for the stop of racial profiling with the stop and frisk law. We should have more people like Al Sharpton who speak out for the community. Not only are these people fighting to make a change in their communities but a change that can affect them on a personal level or as whole for New York City. As the NYCLU stated “We now begin the process of ending these unlawful practices so that all New Yorkers, regardless of their color, may feel free to walk the streets of their city without the constant fear of being stopped without cause.” Latinos and African- Americans should celebrate this because it was finally acknowledge the discriminatory act against them by the NYPD.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s article is titled “Wisconsin Shooting: 7 People Killed At Sikh Temple, Including Shooter,” and addresses the unfortunate events of a shooting in a religious temple.
ReplyDeleteIn “This is Water,” David Foster Wallace, Wallace clearly discusses that before making a decision, or letting your infuriating emotions get to you, you should imagine what those around you are going through to alleviate your emotion or reason to choose. In this case, the shooter should have taken time to consider others instead of being self-centered and not letting immediate needs determine the world’s priorities.
“Wisconsin Shooting: 7 People Killed At Sikh Temple, Including Shooter” is from The Huffington Post, a nationally recognized news website, offering news in politics, business, entertainment, environment, technology, popular media, lifestyle, culture, comedy, healthy living, and more. The Post have won the Pulitzer Award, as well as a People’s Voice award, and many more. Any inconsistency with their posts will nullify their name.
It is stated that “[the] temple in Oak Creek, south of Milwaukee, was founded in October 1997 and has a congregation of 350 to 400 people. There are an estimated 500,000 or more Sikhs in the United States,” out of the small population of this group of people, nearly 400 attended this temple to worship their beliefs, a place of great importance to these people, and it is threatened. In a White House statement, "The president said that he wanted to make sure that as we denounce this senseless act of violence we also underscore how much our country has been enriched by our Sikh community.” The Sikh community is clearly respected, as is any other distinct group of people.
Other than the Sikh community worshipping something worth worshipping, something conscious as Wallace had stated, the shooter failed to remove his mind from the default action of being self-centered when making a decision. and automatically followed to what he thought he needed. He did not stop and think of those he hurt; what were they going through? Did they had children or family to care of? Were they praying for health in the sake of a sick relative or friend? None of these were considered by the shooter, and that is why he was most likely miserable as Wallace had stated, therefore the senseless shooting. Assuming everything surrounds you leads you to think that way for a large period of time, causing you to act on it with bad consequences.
The source I found is “Study Suggests Lower Mortality Risks for People Deemed to Be Overweight.” This article expresses the struggle of being healthy and avoiding illnesses. This source connects the article “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace is related to the article I found because in both scenarios the issue is within the society. For example, in the source I found, the percentage of obesity is high, when tested medically the BMI is high. In the article from this week the article is being told from a first person perspective struggling with the society when dealing with work, shopping at a supermarket, etc. The article I found is credible because it’s from the NY Times and they do have high reputation in past years also the NY Times is widely known all over New York, it’s a popular type of newspaper and people do rely on it. If this article was not credible the newspaper company would just fall apart and it’ll have a bad reputation instead. Pam Belluck doesn’t present her argument but she quotes many statements by people who have attended or currently attend universities in the past.For example, Dr. Klein said, it “ does increase your risk of having diabetes” or other conditions. There’s many evidence in the article but no argument being backed up by it. In both articles society plays an important role because you are a part of it and your actions do affect it. For example in this week article, David Foster Wallace presents tension with traffic jams when he mentions those who talk on the phone while driving cut to the front affect the society negatively because it'll eventually become a chain reaction, other will do the same but in the big picture, it’s going against driving regulations.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/health/study-suggests-lower-death-risk-for-the-overweight.html?_r=0
This week I read an article from 10news “ I Won’t Be Apologising For Post- Grammys Chris Brown Comments”. Miranda Lambert made a negative comment to R&B and rapper singer Chris Brown after last year Grammy when he perform twice. She felt that it wasnt right that he was getting all the attention and treated right due to what he did in 2009 when he abused Rihanna before the 2009 Grammy award. Miranda took the time to write to Chris Brown negative things which ended up going into a twitter argument that caused Chris Brown to delete he’s twitter. Miranda was asked if she regret saying all that to Chris and she said that she doesnt regret it that she felt guilty if she didnt say nothing , she stated “ it was only right for me to say something if I didnt I wouldve felt guilty”. This article connects to “ This is water “ by David Foster Wallance because it gives an example of him going to the supermarket and seeing that the clergy is taking too long at register and he could either choose to say something about it or keep it to himself. Miranda also falls to David’s statement “ think this way , or that anyone expects you to just automatically do it , because it’s hard , it takes will and mental effort, and if you’re like me , some days you won’t be able to do it , or you flat-out won’t want to”. Miranda couldve chosen to see something feel a type of way and couldve stay out of it but instead she express what she felt which ended up into a twitter argument. The 10news article is credible because is a news coverage from San Diego California whose partner with ABC. 10news aired its first episode September 13, 1953 and there licensing authority is FCC (Federal Communication Commission) which is an independent agency of the U.S government created by congressional statute which is appointed by the current president Barack Obama. The news coverage shows examples of tweets from Miranda and Chris Brown arguing and there twitter is real because it has a Verified which mean they officially the person. The news article used an interview from Miranda stating “ He beat on a girl not cool that we act like that didnt happen” and also stating in the interview “ To be celebrated after doing something like that. I dont think its right , I never will , and I will stand by what i said till the day that I die”. Miranda also pointed out that she was raised by her parents not approving anyone doing domestic violence so thats why she spoked also cause it was a very serious matter as a woman herself. Both of these article really connect to each other when David claim that we have the power to choose what not to say and what cant we say at the moment we need to learn that what ever choose we decide to make we need face the consequence of our decision. Celebrity such as Miranda chooses to speak out at any situation she dislike because she knows that what she post or states will spread and other people will see and agree or disagree.
ReplyDelete1. The article I found is called “The cost of obesity”, Peter Lavelle talks about how Obesity costs the country over $11 billion a year. In 2004, the federal government committed $116 million over four years for programs aimed at families and schools to promote nutrition and physical activities. They also made a changes in the Medicare so that from January 2006, GPs can refer people with chronic illness due to obesity to an exercise physiologist and get a Medicare rebate. About $2.4 billion a year goes on the direct costs of treating obese and overweight people. The indirect costs lost work productivity, absenteeism and unemployment are even higher at about $9 billion a year.The almost two-thirds of men and nearly half of women who are obese or overweight pay a huge price not just in the lack of self esteem but also in the illnesses that go along with being overweight.
ReplyDelete2. In the article “This is Water”, David Foster Wallace talks about the believe of default setting, only caring about yourself. Than he talks about how educating people is important. In the article “The Cost of obesity” it talks about how the government is the best they can do to help obese people. The Government has help many people with overweight problems by helping them pay for their treatment. The government is educating people by give them support on what they need.
3. The article “The cost of obesity” was from ABC Health & Wellbeing. Since ABC Health & Wellbeing started out in 2002 as Health Matters,they attracted a growing national and international audience with an average of 100,000 pageviews a week. Now they have a new name, a new look and a stronger focus on healthy living. ABC medical reporter Sophie Scott provides a wrap up of the latest TV health and medical news in the Health Quarter, while Dr Norman Swan leads a team of reporters on a quest for the truth about our bodies and the things we pay people to do to them in Tonic.
4. Peter Lavelle talks about how many money has the government waste on obesity. Peter Lavelle states “due to a convergence of factors - the rise of TV viewing, our preference for takeaway and pre-prepared foods, the trend towards more sedentary jobs, and fewer opportunities for sport and physical exercise”. Lavelle is telling people what are some things you could do to stay healthy. The author also talks about how some people don’t know that heart disease, cancer, asthma, diabetes, dementia, arthritis and kidney disease are much more common, and more serious, in people who are overweight or obese and they also have to play a lot more for treatments.
5. This article is educating people on the things that come with obesity if you don't take care of your body. The author tells readers that government helps people that have problems with overweight. Other disease come with being obese. The Government also has created programs in which families with overweight problems can get help on what they should do to get better. In this article the author tells us that the government are educating people and creating program in which people with obesity can benefit.
http://business.time.com/2012/11/01/what-should-be-done-about-growing-inequality/
ReplyDeleteIn “What Should Be Done About Growing Inequality?” the author presents an argument in which shows that the economic inequality in the U.S. has increased. Compared to several decades ago the U.S. has exacerbated the economic inequality condition and has made social mobility a serious problem as well. This article connects to “This is Water” because our self-centeredness has contributed to this inequality. In our current society our self-centeredness is attributed to the production of wealth, comfort, and personal freedom.
“What Should Be Done About Growing Inequality?” is credible because it was published in TIME Magizine. This publication is a prestigious news source that has established a loyal group of supporters. Any infringement and misinformation would cause them to lose their audience and their enterprise would collapse. In addition, the writer is Michael Sivy received B.A and M.A degrees in classics from Columbia University and he also studied theology at Oxford University and Yale Divinity School. Sivy is a Chartered Financial Analyst and at Money he was an investment columnist for over 23 years. Michael Sivy has vast knowledge on economics and finance which is reflected in the positions he has held. Misrepresenting information would make everyone question his qualifications and deteriorate his reputation.
Michael Sivy presents strong evidence to support his assertion through statistical exemplification. Sivy states, “One of the often quoted indicators, albeit a simplistic one, is the share of pretax income going to the top 1% of the population.” The level of inequality is the result of the tax system that is not proportional. Through this system the wealthy stay affluent while the poor stay at the bottom. Furthermore, “More sophisticated indicators, like the Gini coefficient, also show the U.S. becoming notably more unequal.” In comparison to other countries the difference between classes in the U.S has increased. The inequality level has increased drastically enough that it has surpassed the European level of inequality. These statistics show that social mobility is difficult because of the level of inequality that has increased in the last several decades.
Both in “What Should Be Done About Growing Inequality?” and “This is Water” highlight the idea that our self-centeredness has allowed us to exercise our freedom, but at the expense of equality. In “What Should Be Done About Growing Inequality?” it states, “Finally, special-interest groups add to inequality while eroding the common good.” Self-centeredness has been the catalyst for America’s inequality. It has turned our attention away from the common good. Furthermore, we have misused freedom as “This is Water” suggests. In “This is Water” it states, “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over…everyday.” Freedom was not intended to help individuals get themselves at the pinnacle of society. It is to help better the situation of others less fortunate, not to better ourselves. Moreover, “It is about simple awareness – awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, that we have to keep reminding ourselves, over and over: “This is water, this is water” (“This is Water”). We have to look past the wealth and objects with monetary value. We have to be aware of the issues around us to be able to solve them. We have to use our freedom as a tool to enhance communitarian beliefs and actions. We should protect the common good through exercising our freedom in responsible ways.
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ReplyDeleteThe article I read this week was, “Building Healthy Communities Through Equitable Food Access” by Judith Bell. This text talks about the lack of healthy food availability in especially low-income neighborhoods and the effect of this is adults and children developing health issues and becoming obese. The inability to obtain fresh foods, obesity and related health problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease disproportionately affect low-income people and people of color. Also children from poor families are twice as likely to be overweight as those from higher-income families. There's a large gap between the poor and rich neighborhoods and the low-income neighborhoods have various economic needs.
ReplyDeleteThis source is credible because its from “Community Review INVESTMENT REVIEW” which is an organization that talks about the needs of low-income communities. This article is also affiliated with Policy Link which is a national research and action institute dedicated to advancing economic and social equity. They focus on policies affecting low-income communities and communities of color. The Policy Link was founded in 1999 by Angela Glover Blackwell. The author of this piece, Judith Bell works with community leaders and state and national partners to advance change at the local, state, and national levels. She also conducts advocacy training and workshops across the country to bring low-income communities into the policy process. She also helps to increase access to healthy foods and reduce environmental health impacts on low-income communities. Also a very educated woman who attended University of California–Santa Cruz, B.A., American studies and biology, Harvard University, and John F. Kennedy School of Government.
“Building Healthy Communities Through Equitable Food Access” relates to “This is Water” because in “This is Water” David Foster Wallace discusses how we are always in a default setting and self-centered only care about ourselves and don't take others opinions or reasons into mind and in “Building Healthy Communities Through Equitable Food Access” it talks about the complete opposite and encourages more individuals to be involved in issues occurring in various places of the United States. A person should put themselves in someone else’s shoes before they take action with a certain situation. For example, “Many walk out their front doors and see nothing but fast-food outlets and convenience stores selling high-fat, high-sugar processed foods; others see no food vendors of any kind. Without affordable fresh food
options, especially fruit and vegetables, adults and children face fundamental challenges to making the healthy food choices that are essential for nutritious, balanced diets.” An issue that many Americans are dealing with and that other Americans that aren't in that situation can do certain things to help the issue like donating money or providing a place where more fruits and vegetables can be grown and sent to these local low-income places. It would also be an example of non self interest and taking others into consideration which is what the text “This is Water” relates to.
Judith Bell presents strong evidence in her text by showing statistics and data from previous years and comparing them to different local neighborhoods. “Obesity rates have nearly doubled among adults and more than tripled among children in the past 30 years. In 1991,
no state had an adult obesity rate above 20 percent—indeed, the number was unthinkable. Today, 49 states and the District of Columbia have exceeded that rate significantly, in most cases. And in 30 states, 30 percent or more children are overweight or obese” This is becoming the outcome of the scarcity of healthy foods in low-income neighborhoods.
The New York Times article that I found this week is titled “Campaign Is Established to Benefit Storm Victims” and this article is about the New York Times trying to inform people on how they can help victims of Hurricane Sandy by donating money. It also includes other organizations that are helping victims of Hurricane Sandy. The connection between this article and the class reading is that they are both trying to get people’s “awareness of what is so real and essential,”(Wallace). As a well known newspaper the New York Times does not only give news to New York but to the world. If it gives out fails information the New York Times will lose numerous amount of supporters. The authors of the New York Times article, SHARON O’NEAL and JOHN OTIS, use quotes said by people that work in organizations to support their cause, this is known as expert testimony. They use quotes from “Michael Golden, vice chairman of the Times Company and president of the fund” and “Cathleen Clements, director of the agency’s Office of Client Advocacy”. This people have devoted their life to help people in times of crises and are only asking us as civilians to help each other by donating some money to people that have mostly lost it all during Hurricane Sandy.
ReplyDeletePeople always tend to help other people that are in trouble either by taking direct action or by informing other people to join a cause that will help people that are in trouble. “able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them,”(Wallace). When people see others in distress they tend to put their problems aside and give their support to those in need. This characteristics have been seen over and over again and recently on the victims of Hurricane Sandy. “they were hopeful, and grateful for the resources that were there, but traumatized,”(SHARON O’NEAL and JOHN OTIS). Even with people mostly centered in their life and their problems they will get out of their way to help others in need. With us living in a free country we are truly able to use all the power that we can and want to see are will come true.
The text “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace is about how people don’t really think about anybody else but themselves and think that the world revolves around them. An article from usatoday.com named “Iowa town wrestles with aftermath of 'Bully' documentary” which talks about bullying in Sioux City, Iowa and how bullying occurs their more than in any other places. This story relates to the reading because bullies don’t really care about who they are bullying they only care about putting the other person down and making themselves feel better and don’t really put themselves in other people shoe. This article is credible because it’s from USA Today a website known for providing news on various topics for huge groups of people and they provide credible news because they don’t really want bad reputation. When someone is being bullied they don’t really think about the other person and what he is going through in his personal life. The article from USA Today states “We see Libby's head slammed into a bus seat. A fellow student threatens to sodomize him with a broomstick.” this shows that no one actually cares about anyone else and that they just live in their own little world since no one actually got in to help. This evidence is strong because the author because makes the audience feel emotional and it talks about how bullying is a serious issue that can cause people to kill themselves. This type of evidence is strong because relate to an issue going on in the world and somewhat you get the sense that people are mostly self centered. The two sources connect because when you bully someone you don’t really think about what the other person is going through or even the emotional and mental pain that you are going to cause not just the physical ones. People only think about themselves and not about what is really going on in other people life and that they think that they are the main important people in the world. In this week text it states “The world as you experience it is right there in front of you or behind you , to the left or right of you, on your TV, monitor, or whatever. Other people’s thoughts and feeling have to be communicated to you somehow, but your own are so immediate, urgent,” what this means is that your feeling and thought come above everyone else's no matter if you are right or wrong and that you are correct no matter what your action really is. "They push me so far that I want to become the bully,Libby confesses to the camera.” this means that only thinking about yourself and doing thing that bother people and threaten them physically it drives them to do the same but to others and probably even more so it’s kinda of a never ending cycle.
ReplyDeleteThe article I found was “Fort Greene Scissor Slasher Indicted” by Rachel Silberstein Rachel Silberstein talks about how a man named Keary Green,40 years old charged for assault of second and third degree murder. He stabbed and sliced his wife Maureen Hilliard, 39 years old because he put a status up on Facebook that she didn’t like. Which caused him to go crazy and attack her with a pair of scissors?
ReplyDeleteThis article relates to this week’s topic because it talks about how he’s being selfish and just worrying about himself and not caring about his wife’s feeling toward the post he did on Facebook. Both articles touch on how people see and interpret thing in different ways depending on the person.
This source is credible because it comes from the New York Times a very know company that wouldn’t give false information to the people. Rachel Silberstein recently completed her BA degree in journalism at Brooklyn College and is seeking full-time employment as a reporter.
The author does present a strong evidence to support her argument about why did he get so upset when she comfort him about the wall post he did. As Rachel Silberstein stated “The incident began when Ms. Hilliard confronted Mr. Green about a Facebook post he wrote about a dispute they had earlier that day, according to DA”. The whole argument about a wall post was sort of childish because thing could of happen differently and he wouldn’t gotten so violent on her. Rachel Silberstein also stated “The officer and Ms. Hilliard entered the Fort Greene Place apartment to find Mr. Green holding scissors to his own throat, threatening to kill himself, police said. Mr. Green then pushed Ms. Hilliard to the ground, lunged at her and threatened to stab her, prompting the cop to fire, police said”. Here she states what she witness and how crazy and serious the situation was once she enter through that door. Giving us more evidence to support her argument.
The increase in violence and crime scene has increase during the past years.” The top count, attempted assault in the second degree, is an “E” felony and warrants a maximum of four years in prison, according to New York State penal law”. David Foster Wallace will agree with this quote because you’re the one that make your decision and have to deal with the consequences and what he did was being very selfish. David Foster Wallace reads” The thing is that there are obviously different ways to think about these situations”. Here I can imagine how things could have been different in a situation like this and how they could of approached each other in a better and tuneful voice.
The article I read is about default setting and how people make decisions that affect them in the future. People decide not to help others or make a bad decision that they then regret. This relates to “This is Water” because it talks about people deciding the way they think about thing or do things. For example the text says “Or that the Hummer that just cut me off is maybe being driven by a father whose child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him.” It explains how you can choose to be mad because you might be tired and there is traffic or you could think that others might have a bigger problem than you. Some people are self centered and others think about the people surrounding them. This text is credible because it is a well known news source which is the New York Times which was founded in 1851. It has won 108 Pulitzer Prizes. more than any other news organization. The author does present strong evidence to support her argument. It uses a lot of information on different situations in which people make decisions based on the way they think. For example “Studies show that family members who did not agree to donate a loved one’s organs often later regret that choice.” This example proves that the author is trying to argue that people make decisions that affect them because they might not think about it too much. People make mistakes in life and it is up to them if they change who they are for the better or the worse. On the text I found it says “it’s too complicated; the benefits are too far away; it’s too emotionally fraught. They would benefit from — and likely welcome — a different default.” People make decisions that change their lives because they don’t think about it but that does not mean that you can change. This connects to the class reading that says “If you automatically sure that you know what reality is and who and what is really important-if you want to operate on your default-setting then you, like me, will not consider possibilities that aren’t pointless and annoying.But if you've really learned how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know how to have other options”. This proves that people need to have other options if they make a mistake. You also have to think about others and not just yourself. People also have to think about what they do to know which option is better for them. Both of these texts show that if you are not self centered and think about others as well you wouldn’t be so frustrated with your problems.
ReplyDeletehttp://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/doing-good-by-default/
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/02/03/kappan_noguera.html
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Saving Black and Latino Boys” by Pedro A. Noguera. Noguera talks about the average dropout rates for African American and Latino males in America.
In “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace, Wallace discusses how people think and their choices on whether to do something about it or not. Wallace uses himself as an example on how someones mentality can be so self-centered, the person is unaware of their surroundings, let alone care about others. Instead of judging others through irritation, put yourself in their shoes and think before you put yourself in the centre of your mental world and think about others. Noguera’s article connects to this weeks reading because his article shows his thoughts on America's dropout rates for African American and Latino males. Noguera steps away from his own default setting, spreading his concern about this issue and approaches towards it.
The article states that African American and Latino males are most likely to be suspended and expelled from school. Dropout rates are above 50% and the male students are less likely to enroll to college according to the Schott Foundation for Public Education. Noguera states “When compared to their white peers, middle-class African-American and Latino males lag significantly in grade point average and on standardized tests”. African American and Latino male students are struggling in academic performance. Thus, leading them to drop out.
Both “Saving Black and Latino Boys” and “This is Water” show that not everyone is self-centered. Wallace explains that you are in control of your thoughts, but you are also in control of whether to do something about it or not. Unlike Wallace, Noguera does not complain about the dropout rates in America. Instead, he states the issue and comes up with approaches towards the issue that matters to him. Noguera is known to take action through foundations and has written reports on educational issues. In “Saving Black and Latino Boys”, Noguera showed no sign of default setting. If the dropout rate for African American and Latino males were to decrease, it would not benefit him, but to the male students that he is reaching out for. In “This is Water”, Wallace states that you have the choice to care about others or to sacrifice for them. Noguera choses to care.
Pedro A. Noguera is the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University. Dr. Noguera received his bachelors degree in Sociology and History from Brown University and earned his doctorate in Sociology from UC Berkeley. Noguera has written books about education and has published reports for the Schotts Foundation for Public Education. “Saving Black and Latino Boys” is credible because it was published in Education Week, a website where teachers publish overall issues on education.
The article “Challenging the Stop and Frisk Policy” is a section from the New York Times newspaper called “Stop and Frisk- The New York Times” . This section demonstrates how a group of 13 plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the NYPD because of illegally stopping people in privately owned buildings across the city where officers had been given permission to enter by landlords , as mentioned in the article.
ReplyDeleteBoth the article “Challenging the Stop and Frisk Policy “and this week class article “This is water” by David Foster Wallace. Both demonstrates the idea of self involvement and the individual default setting. this meaning that it all depends on the individual and how you the individual is going to react towards the issue at hand.In the article from the New York Times “ Challenging the Stop and Frisk Policy” it demonstrate how the 13 plaintiff or resident stepped up and fought against the New York Police Depament by taking them to the federal court and try to fight their brutal unlawful stop and frisk policy, and thats what the article “This is Water” implies, how you would react in casue of the issue at hand.
The section “ Challenging the Stop and Frisk Policy”from the article “Stop and Frisk - The New York Policy” from the New York Times is a very credible source because the article is published on a highly visited website and the New york Times is a website that has been around since the 1850s and has won 108 pulitzer prizes which it awarded them for excellence in journalism in a range of categories.And so this is why if at any point the website publish any wrongful information they can lose viewers and my hurt their chances on winning another Pulitzer.
The article “Challenging the Stop and Frisk Policy” demonstrates how the fact that the 13 plaintiffs got the courage to take the NYPD to the federal court and try to solve their issue. The lawsuit turned out to be in their favor , because as the article states “[the suit]claimed that residents and their guests are subject to arbitrary enforcement practices that violate anti discrimination provisions of the federal Fair Housing Act, as well as their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure “and so the once who sue the NYPD didn't just let things happen they took initiative and took them to court.
The article “This is Water “ by David Foster Wallace gives an overview on how people have the choice to decide on how to react on that specific time, whether you goin to stay shut or you're going to take action . if you want change then you should go make that change.This relates to the 13 plaintiff that filed the lawsuit because they saw the unlawful and wrongful brutal stop and frisks committed by the NYPD , that serves a good example of a person or a group of people in this case that took the initiative and went for change.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/s/stop_and_frisk/index.html
The article I found this week is called “Lawmakers in New York Move Toward New Limits on Guns.” This article is about the gun control laws that Governor Cuomo and other legislators are in the process of making for the state of New York. The lawmakers are promising stricter gun laws with the intent of increasing the security of New York residents.
ReplyDeleteThis article relates to the week’s reading because Cuomo and the other legislators are making laws that go against the reading’s idea of self-centeredness. In the reading, someone who is self-centered believes that their immediate needs should set the world’s priorities. Instead, people should have awareness of what the people around them also need and make sacrifices for others. Gun control laws are a very controversial topic, so in this instance, Cuomo is not being self-centered because he isn’t worried about carefully making the right law that will guarantee him the most voters. Cuomo is more worried about the safety of his constituents than about gathering votes for any future elections.
This article comes from the New York Times, a prestigious news organization that is credible for various reasons. The NY Times publishes articles online, in newspapers, and in magazines every day, so editors will be sure to identify and correct any errors before publishing anything. Since the NY Times has such a large audience, they will definitely want to make sure that what all these people are reading is true. The author, Thomas Kaplan, is also a reliable author considering he has been the chief of other newspapers before working at the Times and has even been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, an award for achievement in journalism. Kaplan is surely an author whose words we can trust since he has accomplished many great things in the field of journalism.
The author, Thomas Kaplan, provides strong evidence through the use of expert testimonies. In this article, the expert is Governor Cuomo. After all, no one is a better expert on Cuomo’s plans for New York State than Cuomo himself. In his State of the State Address, Cuomo claimed, “This is not taking away people’s guns. That is not what this is about. It is about ending the unnecessary risk of high-capacity assault rifles.” This specific quote from the Address is important to the author’s argument because it proves that Cuomo is only making these laws with his best intentions in mind. Knowing that the issue is controversial since people do not want to be disenfranchised of their right to bear arms, Cuomo is not worried about making the decision that most people want solely to guarantee the most supporters. Instead, he just wants to make it clear that he is only trying to get rid of these extremely dangerous guns that aren’t even necessary for any kind of activity. Including the governor’s very own words allows Kaplan to write an effective article since it helps him to prove that Cuomo’s main concern is the safety of his people.
This week’s reading states that “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them,” and this is precisely what Governor Cuomo is doing with the gun control laws that he has proposed. Many people and organizations, like the National Rifle Association (an organization that promotes firearm ownership), highly disagree with Cuomo’s plans to reduce gun violence. However, he is willing to sacrifice the potential future votes of the people who disagree with him for the safety of his people. Cuomo states, “Forget the extremists- it’s simple...End the madness now.” Here, he is trying to get those who oppose him to also avoid being self-centered and be more aware of others and care for their safety the same way that he is doing. Since Cuomo governs the many people of New York, it is good that he supports David Foster Wallace’s idea of avoiding self-centeredness and is mostly concerned by what his people needs without worrying about the sacrifices he needs to make in order to protect them.
The article I chose for this week is titled "Day to Reflect After Bearing Storm’s Wrath" written by Cara Buckley. The article talked about victims of the Super-Storm Sandy and their conditions during one of the most family-orientated days of the year, Thanksgiving. One of the victims, Ms. Sheilds, a wheelchair-bound 79 year old lady, had not left her 14th floor apartment in Coney Island, Brooklyn, since the hurricane washed ashore. Patiently waiting for heat, water and electricity, Thanksgiving was the least of her worries. Although there was no water, her family packed her house cooking the regular Thanksgiving day food. “It was harder, but when you got your family and your life, you’ll make do,” Ms. Shields said, “And we did.” Other neighborhoods offering food, help and cheer decided to gather up materials and head over to help the destroyed victims of Coney Island, Bk. Together, the Sandy relief group came to help bearing food and envelopes filled with big bucks. Similarly in Gerritsen Beach, a small community in Brooklyn where many homes withstood damage in the storm, the annual Thanksgiving Ragamuffin Parade marched on. Firefighters dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Cookie Monster and Clifford the Big Red Dog marched down the streets to the beat of the towns marching band. The loud and cheerful singing seemed to fade out the sound of the loud mess made by Sandy. Together, these hearts filled stories share the common topic of stepping out of "me" and stepping into "we" during a time of need. This passage by Cara Buckley and the speech "This is Water" presented by David Foster Wallace relate to each other because both of passages use the thought of stepping out of your mental "kingdom" and stepping into the real world where people lend a helping hand to each other. Cara Buckley has been a writer for the New York Times since about 2006. Buckley's archive includes a deep interpretation of important issues and includes primary sources from the situation itself. "This is Water" and "Day to Reflect After Bearing Storm's Wrath" both touch on the subject of the idea of classical republicanism, were the good of the people are just as important as your own good. This idea of classical republicanism is shown when Wallace said “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them,…” also in Buckley’s article, when she said “Volunteer efforts, which invariably peak at Thanksgiving and Christmas, formed their own tidal surge.” Both Buckley and Wallace are trying to inform the readers that together, issues are resolved faster than alone, and when resolved, the satisfaction of knowing you helped out will be a reward of its own.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/22/newtown-shooting-new-details_n_2351594.html
ReplyDeleteThe article I read this week in called “Newtown Shooting Details Emerge In Aftermath Of Sandy Hook Tragedy “ which addresses a tragic event that happened in newtown which a shooter Adam Lanza killed 26 people 20 where first graders and six adults.
In “This Water “ David Foster Wallace states that if one in self centered they would be miserable and without thinking they would act on their current feeling and won’t think to find a solution. This relates to the shooter Adam Lanza because he wasn't very social so didn't have nobody to talk to which made him in certain type of way miserable. Adam Lanza didn't have nobody to talk to about his problems and he hasn't spoke to his father in 2 years and he acted on anger didn't think it over which cause him to shot his mother and then the school his mother worked killing 21 innocent kids and 6 adults which made it the worst shooting in the United States history.
This article in credible because it came from a reliable source the huffington post one of the most reliable newsstands and also because this event (Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting) impacted the nation on gun violence and gun restricted laws. The author Katie Zezima also has articles writing to The New York Times Another reliable sources when it comes to news.
The author Katie Zezima does show strong evidence when providing the type of weapons Adam Lanza use to kill his mother and 21 kids and 6 adults. She also supports her argument by showing how Adam Lanza never had a motive to do what he wanted to just at the simple fact that he acted weird and wasn’t really social but was a smart person when it came to technology which made people question why he did it and made a major impact on the nation. Also she stated the fact that he own guns and that his own mother taught him how to use them.
This article “Newtown Shooting Details Emerge In Aftermath Of Sandy Hook Tragedy “ Connects to “This Water” David Foster Wallace because it talks about how the feeling of self centered could make someone miserable and the fact of not making a change and thinking about other ways or opportunities to to look at other people a certain type of way to don’t judge someone for the fact that you’re miserable. These two articles show the impact on how being self centered and thinking the way you do and reacting to things can affect other people around you.
The article I chosed is from the new york times “Lose Weight For Your Country”. I chosed this article because it relates to my topic that I am working on which is health/obesity. I chosed this article because I read a part that said “Study’s showing that overweight people have less risk of dying than people of normal weight.” But in another reading I read “Health on inwood and Washington heights” shows me data that say that obesity has increased by 15 percent. And that obesity has cause heart problems and other disease which can cause early disease. This article connects to this week’s text because it’s talking about how much work somebody has to do and is working hard until the point where they dont even have stuff to provide themselves with. This source is credible because is coming from the New York times and they won’t give false information because it will ruin their reputation and is from Catherine Rampell. Catherine Rampell graduated from Princeton , she also wrote for the Washington Post editorial pages and financial section and for The Chronicle of Higher Education. This source is good because Goldman stated that ““The study looked at quantity of life, not quality of life, and that’s a very important distinction,” from the University of Southern California’s Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. It was established in 2009 in order to solve our health and health care challenges. And all information given from that university is helpful to prove all health issue. “lose weight for your country” is similar to this reading of “ this is water” because if your working very hard then thats when changes will start to happen.
ReplyDeleteThis week I found an article called “Stop-And-Frisk Without Suspicion Must Cease In The Bronx, Judge Says” in the Huffington Post . Its about how the U.S. District Judge fails to see the legitimacy and necessity of “Operation Clean Halls”, a program aimed at increasing private building safety in the Bronx. This connects to “This Is Water” by David Frost because the police officers involved in the stop and frisk groups, stopping anyone they want with out cause are self centered and believe that the world revolves around them. They just think that people are in their way not making it possible for them to keep the buildings safe.
ReplyDeleteThe source The Huffington Post is a news website founded in May of 2005. They have have won many awards including being named second best blog of 2009 by TIME. The Huffington Post is a nationally recognized political blog covering important issues with non bias reporting. Un-credible material from the site can tarnish their name and reputation.
In the article U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin says that the NYPD has turned a blind eye to violations of the constitutional rights of thousands of individuals. The Police departments job in the buildings is to prevent robberies and trespassing and they should stop and frisk suspects that they think pose a threat to the security of the tenants but this does not mean that they can stop who ever they want because of race. IN many cases , when the police are stopping the suspects, they are violating the constitutional rights. Scheindlin said “While it may be difficult to say where, precisely, to draw the line between constitutional and unconstitutional police encounters, such a line exists, and the NYPD has systematically crossed it when making trespass stop”
I think that the proposed solution for so many unnecessary stops is a good one. She says that the officers can continue to make stops under the program but they have to develop and adopt a written policy describing the limited circumstances when a person being suspected of trespassing can be stopped.
To connect to the reading by Wallace, I think the police officers should try to think of the people they are stopping differently. Instead of being self centered and thinking that the people are just ruining his day making him work, or that they are up too no good, he can think about them. Maybe that 17 year old with the baggy pants and blaring headphones that you stopped and questioned isn’t a criminal trying to break into someones home, but a kid who left his keys home and is just trying to get home in time to finish his Civics blog post before his 5pm deadline.
The article “Are Today’s Students Too Self-Centered?” by David Crary is one that focuses on the idea of students being self-centered as David Foster Wallace mentions in his speech “This is Water”. Additionally, the article focuses on how the idea of self-centeredness is getting in the way of students realizing that there are some negative generalizations in their generations.
ReplyDeleteThe article I found is connected to Wallace’s speech “This is Water” because aside from focusing on the idea of being self-centered, both authors state that it is a negative idea towards both the individual and the society. Crary quoted, "We're encouraged a lot to be individuals and go out there and do what you want, and nobody should stand in your way," Kader said. This is similar to Wallace’s idea of the important kind of freedom which is to “truly care about other people and to sacrifice for them”. Additionally, it strengthens Wallace idea of interpreting everything through this lens of self and how one has to think about other people’s thoughts not only our own.
The article “Are Today’s Students Too Self-Centered?” by David Crary is a credible source because it comes from CBS News which is the news division of American television and radio network of CBS that has been broadcasted since 1948. Additionally the CBS News Company have an abundance amount of additional programs like CBS This Morning, CBS News Sunday Morning, 60 minutes and more. This proves that CBS shares accurate and relevant information with the public due to all the programs that are available. CBS News wouldn’t share false information with its public because as a new division of American television they wouldn’t want to have to cancel one of their shows, instead they would want to proceed with their accomplishments with their television broadcast.
David Crary the author of my article does present strong evidence in the article to support his argument of how students are too self-centered. Crary included evidence that included statistics. The statistics were based on an evaluation known as the Narcissistic Personality Inventory that asked to respond to statements such as “If I ruled the world, it would be a better place” from 1982 to 2006. By 2006, they said, “two-thirds of the students had above-average scores, 30 percent more than in 1982”. This statistic exemplifies how there has been an increase since 1982 and helps strengthen Crary’s argument of students being too self-centered and possibly being able of harming personal relationships and American society.
David Foster Wallace would agree with David Crary’s argument of students that are self-centered being capable of harming personal relationships and American society because Wallace’s goal in his speech is “somehow alter … hardwired default setting … and be able to see and interpret everything through the lens of self. Additionally, Wallace wants to bring people together and wants people to truly care about each other not separate and harm the society which is what Crary infers might happen if students continue being so self-centered.
The article that I chose this week was called “Saudi judge: It’s OK to spendthrift wives” by Mohammed Jamjoom. This article was about how women in Saudi Arabia are being mistreated by their husbands for spending money, specifically 900 riyals [$240] on abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] and how judges are approving of the action. Here, domestic violence is seen because these women’s husbands do not care about their gender but instead care about the money that was spent that they had given to their wives as a gift. Furthermore, this text that I found is similar to Wallace’s “This is Water” because in Wallace’s text he writes about perspective and how people should take time to reflect to get away from being self-centered whereas in my text, the men are the ones who are defensive in feeling that their gift of money was not properly used. Indeed, being self-centered is connected closely to corruption and in our modern day society abuse affects the freedom and the good being of a whole community.
ReplyDeleteThe article that I found is credible because it comes from CNN (Cable News Network) a news organization that provides its viewers with stories, weather, politics, business, economics, and more. Since this media organization has been around since 1980 and have been successful as determined by the American public, they wouldn’t let anything that is invalid be published. In addition, this article was written by Mohammed Jamjoon is an international worker that is affiliated with CNN and his major task is to provide information about current events in India. However, although CNN is highly conservative, then there is bias but for the purposes of domestic violence this news article is a good fit.
In this article, Jamjoon presents strong evidence to show how corruption is indeed seen not only in the United States but all over the world and must change because there is always one group of people that victimize themselves so that people can defend their views. In this case, women in Saudi Arabia would feel that they are being targeted but Jamjoon states that there is a reason for this because they act indecently and use offensive words towards their husbands. Therefore, these women have a right to speak and feel that people should focus on their mistreatment but they should also re-evaluate how they act towards their husbands. In addition, these Middle Eastern women know that they live in a strict country so they shouldn’t bother to act out even for their own sake. Jamjoon also states that a women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia told CNN “I'm not surprised to see a judge or a religious man saying that - they've been raised in the same culture - a culture that tells them it's ok to raise your hand to a woman that this works." Thus, it is evident that perspective is limited and Wallace’s idea of views is represented through seeing that even after many years the violence and customs in Saudi Arabia have not changed.
Both “This is Water” and “Saudi Judge: It’s OK to spendthrift wives” demonstrate that there are people in this world that only think about themselves, but it’s necessary when they really need something to be done for them. In “This is Water” Wallace addresses how the character is tired and has obstacles in his way such as someone in a car who is on the phone. Based on this scenario, the idea of self-centermost can be supported because the person should meet their duties but the government should make stricter laws for those who impose and act in an illogical manner. Jamjoon’s article is similar yet highlights that women in Saudi Arabia have behaved in certain ways because they feel deprived from a free culture. It is evident that they are suffering in a country where the male do not respect or protect them because they are closed minded. Overall, although “This is Water” would be seen as more American by Saudi Arabians, it is clear that impudent behavior comes with effort and deprivation but those born with natural rights have the power to change it.
The article titled, “In an Attack on the Subways, This M.T.A Truck Would Help” written by Jennifer 8. Lee is about emergency plans and actions one should take when facing a hazardous situation while being on the train. Since New York subway has received an abundant amount of threats, local officials have established a plan in which it will keep everyone safe if something tragic occurs. They decided to develop a 100- person hazmat team and a hazmat emergency response vehicle which carries air packs, masks, orange boots and yellow moon suits.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of David Foster Wallace writing “This is Water” is for people to stop being self centered and so close minded. He wants people to stop thinking that they are the center of the universe, let go judgement and take in consideration the feelings of others. This relates to my source because the majority of the hazmat team is made up of volunteers and only has two full time employees.This exemplifies that these volunteers are committed and dedicated to create projects and take training classes to keep everyone safe if something awful ever occurs while being on the train. They have stepped out of their zone and have thought about the safety of others. Moreover, these volunteers have sacrificed their time without getting payed to do this kind of work that not only has to do with themselves but also with the countless of people that ride New York trains everyday.
This source is credible because it comes from the New York Times. The New York Times it’s a prestigious news organization in the United States. If they post false information, then their putting their reputation at risk and might lose the millions of followers it has. This article consist of quotations by Police Officers and Vincent DeMarino, the vice president for security at New York City Transit. It states statistical evidence that shows how much the cost for this project is. Furthermore, the author/ journalist Jennifer 8. Lee, is also the co-founder and President of the literary studio, Plympton.
Jennifer 8. Lee does uses strong evidence to support her argument. At the beginning of the article Lee states, “If the New York City subway system were attacked with bombs or chemical or biological agents — as occurred in Japan in 1995 and London in 2005 — how would rescue workers handle the evacuation and response?”. Lee uses this historical evidence to exemplify that workers will need to know how to handle a situation of attacks with bombs in advance since New York subway has received many threats and accidents have happened in similar countries like the United States before. Also, Lee writes, “...A new $336,000 hazmat emergency response vehicle [was created]”. Here, it explains how expensive the project was. Although, it was lot of money the benefit outweighs the cost because this emergency vehicle “can carry 10 of the emergency responders. Hazmat materials are stored throughout the transit system for emergency situations”. This vehicle is set for any urgent emergency that can possibly happen.
David Foster Wallace will agree with this project, because people are volunteering to make safety more easier and efficient when thinking ahead of an awful accident in the New York subway and how many people it would affect. Lee states, “Almost everyone else is a volunteer, working by day as a conductor, train operator or track worker. But have all received hazmat training, including a 40-hour course provided by New York State”. This exemplifies that these volunteers have chose to do the work that would benefit the people as a whole. This is similar to what Wallace says when he states, “The really kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them...”. Here, it shows that these volunteers have chosen this type of freedom to care for the people and the nation and to actually do something about being prepare for any emergency while riding the train in New York. Moreover, Wallace states, “It’s a matter of my choosing to do the work of somehow altering or getting free of my natural, hardwired default setting, which is to be deeply and literally self-centered, and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self”. This means that people very often believe that their the center of the universe and they tend to see things only through their perspective and not others. However, in Lee’s article she quotes Mr. DeMarino when he says, “They can repair the track. They can move the train. They can rerail the train”. This shows their achievement so far on the project and it also shows how they don’t see things only from their perspective. Their looking at things as the common good for the people of New York State and the nation.
ReplyDeleteThis week I had read a research report from the University of Michigan entitled “Comfortably Numb: Desensitizing Effects of Violent Media on Helping Others” by Brad J. Bushman and Craig A. Anderson. This report elaborates on the negative effects of the exposure to violent media, specifically with how individuals exposed to this had reacted towards people who needed help. This process of becoming “numb to the pain and suffering of others” (273) is known as desensitization. The report connects to “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace because both authors provide examples of how selfish individuals can become towards those who require assistance after witnessing violent media, relating to Wallace’s idea of self-centeredness. Bushman and Anderson provide significant evidence to show exactly how the process of desensitization occurs in a person through violence, proving how their actions automatically makes them selfish, as they do not take into account the pain someone else has and focus on their own judgement.
ReplyDeleteThis report is credible because it was written by professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University, Brad J. Bushman, and professor and director of the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University, Craig A. Anderson. Both professors have a PhD in Social Psychology with interests in aggression, conflict, and peace within the human mind, showing that the topic of how individuals respond to violent media is something that they are familiar with and have spent a large amount of time researching and learning more about it. Each professor also has numerous publications based on the subject, proving that they are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to situations that affect an individual’s mind and actions.
Bushman and Anderson state that before the initial decision to help someone, several circumstances occur first. According to the professors, three of these circumstances in particular must happen, but are unrecognized because of desensitization: “the individual must notice or attend to the violent incident...the individual must recognize the event as an emergency...the individual must feel a personal responsibility to help” (273). Since the person is desensitized, their attention span over violence declines, the amount of seriousness they believe is occurring is reduced, and there is a decreased sense of sympathy towards the victim. This sheds light on the fact that exposure to violence causes these individuals to become less concerned with others and more concerned with why they should help in the first place. They become self-centered, as they think more about the importance of the situations and themselves rather than thinking about how to help the individual in need. Desensitization causes people to forget about “...attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them” (Wallace), and that “to see and interpret everything through this lens of self” (Wallace) leads to a negative and self-centered lifestyle.
It is important to realize that this process is not brought on upon a person because he/she wants it to. Their exposure to violence had been the reason why their minds had reduced the amount of fear and thoughts of danger in terms of violence, thus producing desensitization in the person’s mindset. Bushman and Anderson’s studies on desensitization illustrate Wallace’s ideas of a person’s natural default setting: “If...you know what reality is and who and what is really important...then you...will not consider possibilities that aren't pointless and annoying. But if you've really learned how to think [and] pay attention, then you will know you have other options.” The situations that we face can affect our lives in a profound matter, making us realize that it is really up to our minds and the situations that our minds have faced to determine how we feel about a situation, rather than just automatically following our better instinct like we’d want to.
The article I found this week, was written by Michael Gormley in the San Francisco Chronicle. “Cuomo begins his major push for women rights” is about our Governor’s proposal (once again) on favoring abortion rights and seeking to equalize the rights of men and women so that women are no longer discriminated.
ReplyDelete“Cuomo begins his major push for women rights”connects to David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech “This is Water” because Wallace tells the graduates that they’re constantly worshiping something, due to the fact that there is no such thing as atheism. It’s clear when he states, “..getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that’s what you’re doing”. Governor Cuomo is attempting to make a large change (pass the abortion law in New York) while trying to fix major issues like domestic violence housing, human trafficking and sexual harassment. It’s like trying to kill two birds with one stone. Cuomo worships women rights, but in trying to adhere to his values, he is attempting to fix as many things possible within a short time frame, which may not be logical nor reasonable.
The evidence that I have that this text is credible is that the San Francisco Chronicle has been a very successful news organization since it was founded back in 1865. The San Francisco Chronicle publishes articles regularly on topics that are not only regarding the local San Francisco area, but the nation as a whole as well. By circulating articles that were not reliable, the news organization will end up losing it’s good reputation and credibility.
Throughout the article, Gormley presents strong evidence to support his argument in a meaningful way. He uses expert testimony when he quotes Cuomo, “We passed marriage equality, let's make history again and pass women's equality in the state of New York!" Gormley uses Cuomo’s direct words from his “State of the State” speech in order to empower his argument and show our Governor’s efforts in trying to achieve equality for women. Gormley also uses statistics and anecdotes simultaneously. Through referencing the New York Catholic Conference and stating “..nearly four in ten pregnancies end in abortion.” Gormley is taking a stance in portraying Cuomo’s proposals as almost unachievable. And it makes sense since not much has gotten done in the past, what can make a difference now?
Both “Cuomo begins his major push for women rights”and David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech “This is Water” embody the fundamental principle of self-centeredness and the fact that we should look beyond ourselves. Wallace believes that we are in a “default setting” and that “..there is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute centre of”. Wallace is definitely right with this because we are always trying to relate everything back to ourselves one way or another. But in “Cuomo begins his major push for women rights” through Gormley’s use of direct quotations of Cuomo, we can see that he thinks about himself but also about the community. Cuomo indicates that “as the father of three girls, I see life in many ways through their eyes”. Cuomo is no longer in his default setting, he is beyond that. He is using his personal life to influence his actions for us in a great way. By putting himself in the shoes of the women in our community, he is on his way to achieve maximum happiness for the women in our community and the women in his life as well.
This week I found a very interesting article call “For an Ethiopian Immigrant, Homeless and deaf, technology makes life a little easier” by Sarah Wheaton. This article is about this guy name Abreham Zemedagegehu who is homeless and is also deaf. Abreham has a lot of problems with cops because they accuse him of not listening to instructions because the cops fail to realize that he is deaf. A lot of people also tend to take a lot of pictures of him because he looks like Jesus. An organization that is supported by the New York Times bought him an ipad so he could make web calls and emails to his family in Washington. This article connects to this week’s reading because this man who is death and homeless still goes outside and lives life. Mr.Zemedageghu says “The bravest thing I can do in the city is pray and read my Bible a lot”. This shows that the even though all his problems he still manages to live off an okay life. This week’s article also talks about not seeing yourself as the center of the universe. New York Times has hard times publishing articles and staying on the competition with other news sites and companies but they understand the concept that there are other people with harder problems than them. The text I found is credible because it’s from the New York Times. The New York Times is a leading global, multimedia news and information company with revenue of 2.3 billion dollars. They have been writing news articles for over 150 years. The author does provide evidence to support her argument. She wants to show how this man even though all his problems he still manages to keep on living. She states his disabilities and his problems. She explains all he goes thru like for example how he got to the United States on the lottery and how people violate his privacy by taking pictures of him. This article and the reading from this week both represents ones ideas. For example in the reading for this week the author writes priorities “there are obviously different ways to think about these kinds of situations”. And on the article the author writes “ Abreham Zemedagegehu faces as a homeless person in New York” as a person people could see see this man and think he is a homeless guy who is probably addicted to drugs who is lazy and its probably not the cleanest person ever. But as the author from the reading explains that , if we look at it differently we could see that he is a deaf guy who suffers in the streets. Who also takes college courses but just doesn’t have the support of a family.
ReplyDeleteThe article I chose this week is called, “To keep children safe, we must look beyond the BBC” which is about the Jimmy Savile scandal, involving a man accused of being a serial pedophile. However, the allegations only came forth after his death. This relates to David Foster Wallace’s "This is Water" speech because this article uses the scandal to demonstrate how people should be less self-centered. It states that people should take action in order to prevent any future child abuse. In this case, the default setting is preventing people from speaking up about potential abuse and helping the abused victims.
ReplyDeleteI retrieved this article from The Guardian which is a British national daily newspaper. The Guardian’s online offering is the second most popular British newspaper website. Therefore, if the newspaper were to publish any false information then it would greatly lose publicity and would go out of business. A newspaper without readers is nothing. Additionally, Donald Findlater, the writer of this article, is director of research and development at the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and director of Stop it Now! in the UK and Ireland. Similarly, since Findlater holds an important position in an organization, not only would he tarnish his own reputation if he were to publish false information. His reputation affects the future of the organization since no one would trust an organization with an unreliable director, even if it does fight for an important cause. Because he wouldn’t dare risk endangering his reputation and the success of the Stop it Now! organization, this article is credible.
Donald Findlater uses statistical evidence from research done by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), a charity campaigning and working in child protection in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands. He states, “At least one in 10 children in the UK experiences sexual abuse before they reach 18...It may be as many as one in six.” This statistic helps to show how appalling the child abuse in England really is. Moreover, it illustrates how necessary it is that people start to veer away from their default setting, which Wallace defines as being self-centered. The self-interest aspect is costing the safety and lives of at least one in six children in the UK. By using this statistic, Findlater persuades his readers to take action towards child abuse prevention.
A great majority of people do not step in and try to protect abused children because, “the most
obvious, ubiquitous, important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk
about” (Wallace). Even though people know how serious child abuse is, they are blind to it because it is hard for them to accept it on a subconscious level. People cannot seem to accept reality because they are more focused on themselves and their own needs instead of what surrounds them. Findlater states, “many, have turned a blind eye, have blamed the young person, have denied the evidence in front of them, have put self-interest above child protection.” The default setting that Wallace describes in his speech is clearly evident in this issue. People choose to turn a blind eye on what is right in front of them because they prefer not to see it or they simply care more about themselves than they do for anything else. Yet, “so many children could have been protected if bystanders had taken action” (Findlater). For this exact reason, Wallace argues that we must veer away from our default settings because even though we are able to gain, “extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom... The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over... That is real freedom” (Wallace). In essence, leaving behind our default setting will allow us to save children from men like Jimmy Savile who got away with abusing children until his death.
The article I found this week includes the idea of inequality. Talks about how the number of Hispanic and dark skin color having low numbers in their education. Also how there different locations that have either better scores or worst scores. It relates to this weeks topic because it mentions how inequality is seen in public education system. The article also mentions “ A Rotting Apple” which is including every problem that involves education.
ReplyDelete“Why education inequality persists – and how to fix it” is a credible source because comes from The Washington Post which is known in Washington but in other states as well. Known for having one of the best sources for the latest news. The news reporter Valerie Strauss, she has experience because of the amount of time she has worked with The Washington Post. If she’s not credible then she won’t be able to keep writing for the post and it wouldn’t be a credible source.
This author uses strong evidence to support her argument. Few reasons, and the first one s because in the beginning she uses few outside sources that are involved with the topic. Like “A Rotting Apple”, which in that article contains few studies made and as well uses some statistics with the numbers of Hispanics and Asians being compared.
Both are talking about inequality and how it’s not fair for them. Both authors have solutions for this inequality. For David Foster, he wanted to get the idea pass to each of the graduates. To show them they contain power and they should remember incase anything doesn’t go their way. When David says, “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly care about other people…” is trying to tells us that the word freedom as a larger definition. Also, as people part of the society, there’s nobody able to deny our position and what we represent. Same as for Valerie’s document, when she mentions “Finally, every school should conduct an “opportunity audit” to determine if they are offering each student a fair and substantive opportunity to learn”. She wants equality in order for their freedom to be respected as well. David starts with the definition of freedom and with Valerie’s is showing how making an attempt to find the right solution should be used.
http://www.voanews.com/content/illegal-immigrants-offered-lower-tuition-for-higher-education/1518376.html
ReplyDeleteThe following article called “Illegal Immigrants Offered Lower Tuition for Higher Education” by Chris Simkins describes that Maryland has a possibility in having one of their state laws stating that illegal immigrants have the right to be offered a lower tuition in college in order to provide a higher education for them. This week’s text called “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace connects to the article published by Chris Simkins in various ways. In this week’s reading, it discusses the idea of the default setting, which is defined as seeing things from its own perspective. The article describes the opposite of the default setting, which is the right way to think about these types of things nowadays. Based on the article, the state of Maryland is actually thinking about the rights undocumented immigrants should have today. Therefore, the state of Maryland was thinking the opposite of what the default setting means. The evidence that is provided in order to prove that this article is credible is that the article states the date it was published and Chris Simkins has written several articles apart from this week’s chosen article. Chris Simkins has presented strong evidence to support his argument in various ways. The author provides the audience a video that involves an example of a student named Ivette Roman, who graduated high school with excellent grades and desperate to enter college, but the fact that she was an undocumented immigrant, her process to college was held back. Even after receiving the devastating news, Ivette Roman never gave up and is still fighting for her right in entering college as other students can enter regularly as well. In other words, Simkins stated, “For now, Ivette Roman can obtain a renewable two-year work permit to stay in the country without fear of deportation”. In general, the fact that Chris Simkins provided this video represents a good amount of evidence in order to emphasize his points on this article. Overall, Chris Simkins and David Foster Wallace would have an acceptable connection between each other. David Foster Wallace explained the meaning of a default setting and its opposite, but mainly he was trying to get to the point that we should keep an appropriate distance between ourselves and the default setting. For example, Wallace mentioned, “And the world will not discourage you from operating on your default settings, because the world of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self”. We, as a whole should think away from the default setting and think more into people. We should try to fit into the person’s shoes before criticizing them our own way, based on our default setting.
“Violence exposure in real-life, video games, television, movies, and the internet: is there desensitization?” by Jeanne B. Funk, Heidi Bechtoldt Baldacci, Tracie Pasold, Jennifer Baumgardner is about an experiment the authors conducted to determine a correlation between exposure to violence in the media and reactions to violence in person. This is related to “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace as he discusses the need for individuals to step away from self-centeredness and towards awareness of others. The other text addresses the idea of awareness as it presents data that proves individuals still place their needs before those of others. Because of media, children seem to become less caring and indifferent about what goes on around them, the very thing Wallace wants individuals to avoid.
ReplyDeleteThis text is credible because these four women who have received their PhDs published it. All of these women have graduated from the University of Toledo in Ohio. Because they all graduated with PhDs in psychology, they clearly have extensive knowledge on the matter of behavior in individuals and other issues regarding the way humans think, since they have spent most of their education studying these topics. The university in which these women graduated was named #18 of engineering graduate schools in the United States by the Princeton Review. Additionally, the undergraduate engineering and business programs are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report, which shows this school is well recognized.
The authors of this document use statistical exemplification in their research to strengthen the idea that exposure to violence in the media has resulted in an increase in desensitization and appearance of pro-violence attitudes of youth. The document presents various tables with correlations among specific variables of violence in the media and child behavior. The research demonstrates that there is a -0.5 correlation between exposure to violence and a child’s feelings towards it. This suggests that the more these children were exposed to variables containing violence such as video games, the Internet, and TV, their attitudes toward their thoughts on the significance of violence decreased as well as their empathy for violence. Clearly, this supports these authors’ argument based on the fact that because young children are being exposed to more violence, they are less caring about witnessing violence in real life or even acting in violent ways themselves.
David Foster Wallace and the authors of the research report would all agree with the idea that Americans have become indifferent towards one another and as a result, American culture may be in danger as change is at a hiatus. According to Wallace, “We rarely talk about this sort of natural, basic self-centeredness… but it's pretty much the same for all of us... It is our default setting, hard-wired into our boards at birth.” This same conception of self-centeredness is what Wallace challenges us to go against, to view the world in a different light, with awareness of others and the obvious issues everyone chooses to ignore. The women who conducted the research seem to support Wallace with their discoveries on desensitized American children. It seems that the more exposure to violence children encounter, the less concerned they are with violence in real life. Not only is this harmful to these children as they are being raised to become indifferent about important issues such as violence, but it presents Wallace’s theory of our lack of awareness. We know that violence exposure in the media exists; it’s everywhere. However, despite how evident it has become, we all choose to do nothing about it, we continue to expose ourselves to desensitizing variables. The more we wait around and ignore these issues, the less we will care about them later on in the future. The only way to make change is to take up Wallace’s challenge and become less self-centered and more aware of our surroundings.
The article I found this week was called “M.T.A Seeking Federal Aid Not Just for Repairs, but for Improvements” by Matt Flegenheimer. In this article Flegenheimer discusses the damages that the M.T.A suffered with Hurricane Sandy. The MTA plans to as the government for help to repair stations but also improve them because some of the materials used to make some of the track work are from the 20th century that are not made any more.
ReplyDeleteThis text connects this week’s text “This is Water” that talks about simple awareness of the things around us and what is truly essential. This relates to the M.T.A article because the M.T.A is not just only thinking about the benefit of the company but about doing what is right for the city as a whole. Wallace talks about thinking about what others are possible going through, what the M.T.A is trying to do think about its customer and find the best solution satisfied them. This is known as thing aware, the matter being aware of what is going on with how the stations are and what the customers want to see be done.
This article is credible, because it comes from the New York Times, one of the oldest newspaper organizations in New York City and the country. It would hurt the Times image and reputation if they publish false information, that will cause the organization a great loss of readers. To prevent this from occurring the Time only employs and allows qualified journalist with year of work and experience to write and publish articles. The author of this article is a qualified journalist with many years of experience to write and new articles, text that qualifies this text as credible.
The author of this text present strong expert testimonial, from the president of New York City transit Thomas F. Prendergast. Prendergast states “Even FEMA will tell you, don’t replace in kind if you can replace and harden and improve” (Flegenheimer) Here the author used strong evidence because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that is the part of the government that deals with the aftermath of natural disasters and emergency. Has recommended to the city that I would be best if the city to not just repair the damages but improve the transit system to make sure that it would not get damaged as it did. Thus last longer with stronger and better materials.
The author of “This is Water” Wallace would support the actions proposed by the M.T.A because it’s not thinking just about itself as the center. The agency is considered of the actual people that are affected by their decisions. From Wallace “The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness” The freedom that Wallace mentions is what the M.T.A is trying to achieve by improving the stations that FEMA supports ““And they’re willing to pay for that cost.” (Flegenheimer) That what Wallace is trying to get through that when we think we have to be consider other people and what they are going through that is why the FEMA is willing to help not only the M.T.A improve but also New York City after Sandy.
The article of my choosing is "NYPD Statistics Show 96 Percent Shooting Victims Black Hispanic Minority Groups Represent 89 Percent Murder Victims" by Rocco Parascondola. This article is merely about how statics for the year 2012 demonstrate that African American and Hispanics make up for the majority of the shootings that have occurred in the city. In order for these crimes to go down advocate leaders should promote change and create tactics to help fight crimes in these neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteThe article was derived from The New York Daily News, which is a very well known newspaper published in New York City daily. It provides strong coverage of local news and sports, and has been occurring since 1919. Rocco Parascondola, the author of this article, has been a police bereau chief for the New York Daily news, for sometime. He is also a Newsday crime reporter.
In the article "This is water" by David Foster Wallace, the idea that self centeredness is crucial was emphasized. Wallace stresses the fact that every individual has the choice to shift from the obvious and view things from a different perspective. As humans, we tend to worry about many things and miss the big picture. The author quotes ""The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting, the rat race, the constant gnawing sense of having had, and lost, some infinite thing", in other words reminding us that the most simple things are around us. In the article "NYPD Statistics Show 96 Percent Shooting Victims Black Hispanic Minority Groups Represent 89 Percent Murder Victims, we get an example of the message Wallace tries to get across. Many of these violent crimes are occurring by a certain group, African Americans, and Hispanics. This is why many police offices, have not had a good relationship with this group in particular, in regards to the stop and frisks. But not much is being done to change this perception. For instance, in the article Parascondola" Kelly in recent months has repeatedly said minority group leaders and civil liberties advocates complain about stop ad frisk but do nothing to combat crimes in minority neighborhoods" this is a perfect example of how the simple things are around us but we are so worried about certain things that we tend to miss the big picture.
These two articles both relate in the sense that it demonstrates how we have the power to make better choices. If these advocates found better solutions for these troubled individuals and better resources there will be less crime, resulting in less stop and frisk is African Americans and Hispanic individuals. The same way Walter emphasizes change and choice.
The article that has caught my interest was “The Obesity Hunger-Paradox” By Sam Dolnick. This New York Times article is based on obesity in New York City , it talks about the highest affected areas with obesity and the reason why these areas have such a statistic.According to the article the Bronx is a borough in New York City that has the high rate of unhealthy and obese people “The Bronx has the city’s highest rate of obesity, with residents facing an estimated 85 percent higher risk of being obese than people in Manhattan” and also it talks about the reasoning behind this fatal statistic when it says “they lacked money to buy food at some point in the past 12 months”. In the article “The Obesity Hunger-Paradox” it also says“Full-service, reasonably priced supermarkets are rare in impoverished neighborhoods, and the ones that are there tend to carry more processed foods than seasonal fruits and vegetables.” Apparently the lack of healthier food markets in specific low income areas in the places like the Bronx only have one result which is the people of the community purchasing less healthier and natural food and having no choice but to buy things like processed food which is less nutrition for the human body.Although these events are happening , steps are always being taken by the government to try to progress the community.This weeks reading “This is water” by David Foster Wallace is about the average human mind and how it operates on default setting and how educating people is important and necessary. The article “The Obesity Hunger-Paradox” By Sam Dolnick and “This is water” by David Foster Wallace connect because in the weeks reading “This is water” it talk about how first thinking about the others and thinking about what they have been through is important and in the New York Times article “The Obesity Hunger-Paradox” action were being taken in order to help progress these areas that were being affected by obesity “The city has also created initiatives to send carts selling fresh fruits and vegetables to poor neighborhoods, and to draw grocery stores carrying fresh fruit and produce to low-income areas by offering them tax credits and other incentives.”. This shows the actions taken by government in order to attempt to decrease the rate of obesity in the city and specifically in the low income areas that are being affected the most.The article “The Obesity Hunger-Paradox” By Sam Dolnick is a credible text because it was published in a well known and famous news paper that can not afford to have false article that would hurt their reputation. Sam Dolnick is a professional writer that has published tons of articles through the New York Times daily newspaper. Sam Dolnick uses a substantial amount evidence in form of statistics to back his point up and an example of this is when Sam Dolnick says “According to a survey released in January by the Food Research and Action Center”.Not only does Sam Dolnick use data from things like surveys but he also includes a statistical graph demonstrating the places around the city that could afford food the least and also the highest.Overall both of The article “The Obesity Hunger-Paradox” By Sam Dolnick and “This is water” by David Foster Wallace educate people on the way that things are in people’s perspective and it also educate us the audience on the action being taken by the government that help out the people and it shows that government was not only thinking about self benefits and that the people that are in need of help were being helped.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/nyregion/14hunger.html?_r=0
-Garmandy Candelario
The article I found was “ It is time to act to protect children against gun violence.” This mostly talks about the massacre that currently happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in NewTown,CT. This connects to this weeks topic on default setting because who would come out of nowhere and start a shooting massacre and suddenly end up killing children. In this weeks reading “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace explains how us as humans are always in this default setting which everything is self-centered.You believe in yourself and not to others. The evidence that I found that this article is credible is that it is from the Huffington Post, and was published in December 21,2012. Also the author to this article I found named Marian Wright Edelman, she is a president of the Children Defense Fund.
ReplyDeleteMarian argument is to prevent gun violence and start protecting children from that. One piece of evidence she uses is “All mothers who don't keep guns in their own homes but do allow their children to visit anyone elses homes should be aware that nearly half of Americans say they keep a gun in their home or on their property, that one-third of homes with children younger than age 18 have guns, and that more than 40 percent of guns in homes with children present are left unlocked.” This is true because if children are left alone, they do whatever they want. But the bad thing is that if the gun is found by the child, the consequences are very critical. One thing is that kids do not know how to use any type of firearm, unless if they were trained. So guns in children's hands can’t happen. All parents must be aware at all times. This means that parents are selfish while having firearms in hand rather than just having public safety. Another piece of evidence is “ The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence reports a gun in the home is more likely to be used in a homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting than it is to be used in self-defense, and other studies have found guns in a home are more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than a stranger. Guns lethalize anger and despair.” This connects to Wallace’s “ This is Water” because he uses himself in real life talking about default setting. He mostly believes in himself only. This is all called “selfish thinking”.
Both Edelman and Wallace use parents and his own self as a parent to undergo “default setting.” Because of parents thinking about violence there is no reason to release anger. Edelman states “Guns lethalize anger and despair.” while Wallace states “This is Water.” These quotes show the fundamental principle of self-centeredness and the fact that we should look beyond ourselves. Wallace believes that we are in a “default setting” and that “..there is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute center of”. Wallace is right with this because we are always trying to relate everything back to ourselves one way or another with an addition of stopping violence into reaching other children.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/is-your-generation-more-self-centered-than-earlier-generations/
ReplyDeleteThis week, my article “Is Your Generation More Self-Centered Than Earlier Generations?” talks about the change of narcissism between previous generations and ours today. In order to evaluate this change they are using music from the 1980’s to 2007 and count the number of “me” and “I” in a song.
My article connects to this week’s reading “This is Water” because they focus on this idea of self centered or everything revolving around you. My article exemplifies the change going into a phase of self interest, while “This is Water” explains how to perceive it.
My source is credible because it is from well known news source, the New York Times. The New York Times reaches out to a large audience which means they have to keep their stories true. Also due to the various amounts of stories, the New York Times has specific people working on editing and making sure everything that is published is credible.
In order to prove that there has been a change in generations, Katherine Schulten uses an experiment created by Dr. DeWall to show the change in a lens many people look inwards too; music. She also uses time and celebrities to differentiate between the past and now. She mentions Justin Timberlake as an example of how today’s music revolves around one person, the singer in order to show the change in self interest between generations.
Schulten’s argument to show change in self interest not only connects to Wallace’s argument but as well serves as an example to prove it. Wallace agrees that self interest or this idea of prioritizing yourself over others has developed in way, blindness to what goes around you that you no longer perceive it the correct way. Schulten’s article provides as an example of measuring the way people perceived things before and now, and how that has developed people to become more centric and ignoring the “what if” Wallace is trying to discuss in his article.
The article I found is called “Columbine Massacre”, by Jennifer Rosenberg. My reading talks about two high-school seniors, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, enacted an all-out assault on Columbine High School during the middle of the school day. Dylan and Eric Harris killed 12 students 1 teacher and the two murderers were dead. They used guns, knives, and a multitude of bombs. This article relates to this weeks reading of “This Is Water” by Dave Foster because it talks about the believe of only caring about yourself. The two killers only cared about them self so they did not have any problem about taking other peoples lifes. My article is credible because Since 1996, About.com has continually maintained its relevance to users by routinely providing expert information on a large range of topics. About.com covers more than 88,000 topics and adds more than 1,600 pieces of new content each week. “ For more than 15 years, About.com has been a trusted source”. If this website has survived for more than 15 years they must have relevant information.My author uses strong evidence because she got her information from journals, notes, and videos that Klebold and Harris left to be discovered. Primary sources. “It is hard to pinpoint one trigger that started these two boys on a murderous rampage.”The author argues explanations on why the seniors committed this crime.Jennifer provides strong evidence when she says “Klebold and Harris were angry teenagers. They were not only angry at athletes that made fun of them.” Here she implicates that one possible reason they committed this crime was because of bullying.”On the front page of Harris's journal, he wrote: "I hate the fucking world." Harris also wrote that he hates racists, martial arts experts, and people who brag about their cars.” The author relates to “This Is Water” because the seniors were acting on default settings. They killed because of how they felt about people They did not care about how this would affected the community and the childrens parents. That was strong evidence because it shows the hatred the senior had inside him how he hated judgemental people who only talk about cars and racism. This caused him to kill all these kids .
ReplyDeleteThe article “Teen Pulls Train Emergency Brake To Retrieve Dropped iPhone” written by Meredith Bennett-Smith, highlights the selfish act of a 13 year old boy from New Zealand retrieving his iPhone and putting the life of others at risk in order to safely retrieve his smartphone.
ReplyDeleteBoth the article “Teen Pulls Train Emergency Brake To Retrieve Dropped iPhone” and the text "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace share the similar idea because the article of "This is Water" highlights how individuals live in a default setting where they are self-centered and only worry about their concerns rather than the common good of others around them. Foster backs up his article by calling this act as an “unconscious belief that [individuals] are the centre of the world.” Similar to what Foster highlights, the article “Teen Pulls Train Emergency Brake To Retrieve Dropped iPhone” is an example of what Foster refers to as being “in centre of the world” because the 13 year old boy only concerned about the consequences of losing his smartphone rather than the concern of the life of other people.
The author of the article is credible due to the fact that Meredith Bennett-Smith has written similar articles about selfish people who concern mostly about their own self than others, indicating the experience that she has with encounters like in this article. The Huffington Post is an American website that was founded in 2005 which covers politics and has a high reputation, being #1 on the 15 Most Popular Political Sites over the internet for local news, adding to the credibility because if inaccurate news were posted, it will consequently reduce the high reputation the news organization has earned.
Meredith Bennett-Smith introduces an outside credible source in order to support her argument of individuals being self centered. Smith references New York's Metro Transit Authority, which is the corporation responsible for creating public transportation across all of New York City, stating “reports around 1,000 cases of emergency brake deployment each year during non-emergency situations” (Smith). Showing that a majority of the reports that were recorded are examples of how people worry about their own good rather than the life of another and even slow down the transportation service for others. In addition, Smith references yet another transportation organization, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is another example which is targeted by individuals who are only concerned about their personal entertainment. She states, “The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for example, has struggled with teens pulling train emergency brakes as a prank, sometimes enduring several pranks in one day” (Smith).This shows how David Foster’s idea of individuals are thinking that they are the centre of the world because they are only concerned about their property or amusement without taking regard of the consequences.
Both the article “Teen Pulls Train Emergency Brake To Retrieve Dropped iPhone” and the text "This is Water" consider the same concept that individuals have the default setting to be considered first. In the text "This is Water" it highlights that the common good “involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them”, but according to “Teen Pulls Train Emergency Brake To Retrieve Dropped iPhone” it demonstrates a teenage boy who rather stake the life of other people as the writer states “pulling the e-brake in the case of a non-emergency can cause injury to other passengers or transit employees and can even affect service across parts of the system” (Smith), but pursues the action because he feels like his phone “is very important to [him]” and he panicked. Overall showing that individuals will always have the self centeredness idea above the common good for other people.
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/train-emergency-brake-iphone_n_2439999.html
The article i found is “High School's Graduation Rates Unacceptably Low,States Says” by Elissa Gootman. This Article is about how more than ⅓ of high schools students failed to graduate on time.This Graduation rate lowered from 54.3% to 53.2% in just a year of education. “High schools Graduation rates Unacceptably Low,State Says” relates to my group project/research because both are based on how the graduation rate with in new york city minorities low. This text is credible because is from the New York Times a all around new source providers for New yorkers and published by Elissa Gootman a current article writer for the New York Times .Elissa Gootman clearly unimpressed by the graduation rate with in New York city/state supports her argument that the graduation rate is unacceptable by quoting State Education Commissioner Richard P. Mill which states that “this pattern [ Low performance ] will carry throughout college and though into professions... it has profound negative effects for our future. Gootman also provides statewide Statistics which indicate that “the Graduation rate for boy is 59.4% while girls graduation rate for girls is 69.2%” both low. In “what is water” by David Forrest Wallace, Wallace presents us with humans default setting, which tells us that as human being we are hardwired to think mainly about ourselves at all times and what we see us as the center of our surroundings. Applying this to Elissa Gootman article we as individuals should care more about the success in early childhood and adolescent education because these trends or habits that we build as we go throw schools transcend into our adults lives and future professions weather its negative or positive habits.
ReplyDeletehttp://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/g/elissa_gootman/index.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/10/nra-white-house-meeting-h_n_2450998.html
ReplyDeleteThe article I read this week was “NRA: White House Meeting 'Had Nothing To Do With Keeping Our Children Safe'” it talks about a white house meeting between The National Rifle Association (NRA) and Vice President Joe Biden's school safety study group. The NRA claims that the vice president’s school safety study group strayed away from the topic of school safety and focused more on demonizing the second amendment.
This article relates to this weeks reading, “This is Water” because it relates to self centered goals and the consideration of others. In this case the school safety study group isn’t taking into consideration the perspective of the NRA or any lawful firearm owning citizen and going after their own self-goal of restrictions on firearm owners. For their own safety they would rather purpose decreasing the rights of “lawful” firearm owners. While the NRA’s “over 4 million moms and dads, daughters and sons” and other firearm owners could see this as an attack to their amended rights. What the school safety study group isn’t taking into consideration is the purpose or need for firearm owners to have weapons. Some carry these firearms for their safety. Both are acting on their own fears in order for them to make sure they are protected.
This article is credible because it is on the Huffington post an American news website. The article has a direct quote of the NRA’s full statement after the meeting.
The article uses strong evidence in the article by giving the full statement by the NRA. In the statement the NRA gives their view on their expectations for the meeting and what their view of what actually happened. The NRA stated “We attended today's White House meeting to discuss how to keep our children safe and were prepared to have a meaningful conversation about school safety, mental health issues, the marketing of violence to our kids and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals.” but they claim what happened was completely different. Instead the “Task Force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners - honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans”. This didn’t suit the NRA well they is this as them pushing more failed solution which would demonize the second amendment. They are willing to talk about change but not in the expense of innocent firearm owners this is seen when the NRA stated, “We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen”.
This statement reminded me of the article “this is water” when it states “The world of men and money and power hum along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving the worship of self worth”. This summarizes quite nicely on the purpose for Vice president’s school safety study group to purpose such laws. The fear and frustration of has been happening around the country is fuel that is pushing such suggestions at the expense of “law-abiding gun owners”. The default setting of wanting to protect oneself when they're afraid is not allowing the think tank to come up with effect laws for school safety and push more ruthless gun restrictions instead. What they need to do is what the NRA is pushing for “take (their) commitment and meaningful contributions to members of congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works - and what does not.”
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ReplyDeleteThe article I found this week is called "New York Is Moving Quickly to Enact Tough Curbs on Guns" by David M. Halbfinger and Thomas Kaplan. In this New York Times article, we see top law officials like Gov. Andrew M. Como making pushes to keep guns off of criminals and mentally ill people.There is also the addition for smaller magazine witch is what law officials is also trying to limit.
ReplyDeleteThis article connects to "Like water" by David Foster Wallace because these law officials are doing what David Foster want us to do and that is to become less self-contentedness and help each other.It seems like we see law officials are putting on the shoes of the parents of Sandy Hook and making sure that any other parent would go through in there lives.
This article can be proven credible because it is published by the New York Times.The New York Times is a well respected newspaper that have been around since 1851 and has won 108 Pulitzer prizes.Thomas Kaplan and David Halbfinger are both graduates of Yale university.Kaplan has a bachelor and master degree in political science and and covers New York State government and politics for about 3 years. Halbfinger has been with the times for 15 years and has been writing for the Philadelphia Business Journal,New York Newsday and the Boston Globe.Both come from a good educational background and some experience in there school journals.
This article presents very strong evidence with quotes from The Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, Governor Andrew Como and provide lines said by a NRA lobbyist.They also break down what law officials are trying to pass is magazine sizes no more then 7 rounds. There is a more say coming from law officials then from the other side that are being effected like the NRA or shareholders, witch is key to balance each side.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/nyregion/new-york-nears-gun-control-tightening-laws.html?pagewanted=1&src=recg
In the article i found Are Today's Students Too Self-Centered? by David Crary it talks about how people are becoming more self centered and how is it dangerous for the American society because kids now have more confident, assertive, entitled and seeking for attention but lack empathy, react aggressively to criticism and favor self-promotion over helping others.This Article contacts with This is water by David Foster Wallace because they both start talking about how people only care about themselves and just what things to be in there own default setting and doesn't really care about the other people around them.This Article is credible because it was written by David Crary from Associated Press and published by CBS NEWS which are two powerful news industry which makes this article credible .David Crary write’s about how students are becoming more self and the things that they use to make them more selfish like video games ,social network .etc. there was a study that was taken in 1982 and another in 2006 to she the difference in the students personalities and the students of 2006 were 30% more Personality than the students in 1982 which could be useful in meeting new people but would led to a short relationship between the students and cause emotional problems which could led to violent behavior and a act of self fishest which is a problem in the American society.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-2519593.html
Shotgun Report at Center of Florida Shooting Case” by Lizette Alvarez, addresses the shooting of a innocent 17 year old, Jordan Davis, who was shot and killed at a gas station in Florida by Michael Dunn. Connecting to “This Is Water” by David Foster, Dunn might have had a headache and was only thinking about himself and asked the teens to turn down the music instead of rolling up his window so that he would hear less of the music, just like in the supermarket story that Wallace told. On the contrary the teens might have been in their default setting by listening very loudly to the music and not thinking about the other people around them. The New York Times published this article, and if they were to put false information on their website they would lose their high reputation of being a world-wide known news source. Alvarez uses good evidence by interviewing both, Mr.Davis and Dunn’s lawyer. Mr.Davis tells Alvarez, “There was no mention of a shotgun. The detective told me they checked and searched the car my son was in and no weapons were found in the car, no drugs were found in the car and no weapons were found in the area.”
ReplyDeleteThe text I found is "What to expect in New York in 2013", by Stephen Kroninger of the new york times. But their this part in the article that I focused on "Police", by Wendy Ruderman. This piece of article is talking about how aggressive crime and murder rates have decreased and what would happen if the Police Commissioner Raymond W.Kelly leaves, which he has in force more on changing crime in new york. Its quoted " Regardless of whether 2013 is his final year as commissioner, Mr.Kelly will seek to cement his legacy as an aggressive fighter who made New York safer". New york has become more safe because Mr.Kelly is making and effort to stop crime and many young teenagers stay out of trouble and for murder crimes to come to a end. This is how stop and frisk got thrown in there so it could make New York safer and people feel more secure. But many people protest and go against stop and frisk because many innocent people are being stop and frisk for no reason. The article I found is credible because its branched from the New York Times a well trusted newspaper. New York Times is read all around the world is very important newspaper everyone likes to read it to get updates about everything and news especially. The reading of this week on "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace is about how David is trying to make a change in him self or if he says what he feels would change things around. While he was in the supermarket the clergy was taking long and he thought of saying something and speaking up but he held back and didnt say anything. "I don't make a conscious decision about how to think and what to pay attention to...". This quote saying that David doesnt pay mind to things and he doesnt make a effort to change things that bother him or is not being right done. This is a perfect both article connects because both shows how people should e more involve with their communities and with their own problems. Also how they should speak up and say how they feel and how thy should be treated and not just get treatments of others, an how others should violate them. Now in days I think everyone should have a say and should try to be more involve with activities with their communities to try help out themselves and each other.
ReplyDeleteThe article "We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists" By Dr Keith Ablow talks about the narcissism in this generation compared to earlier generations. They say that the kids of today are so absorbed in fine tuning themselves and don't worry about other people and situations.
ReplyDeleteMy article is relevant because in "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace, he talks about how people have the choice to interpret a situation to their choosing, however, they usually think about themselves. Foster talks about how people look at situations while in Ablow's article, he points out a specific way of the default-setting.
My article is credible because Dr Keith Ablow is not only a analysist and columnist on Fox Five News but he also is a psychiatrist and daily contributor to the New York Times, as well as a expert witness. Earning his Doctor of Medicine from John Hopkins, he has also written six psychological fiction thrillers, one of which the New York Times called a best seller. Thus working with Fox Five news, a well known, highly reputable news organization, he has years of working as a talk show host and gathering accurate information.
In order to prove his point, Ablow uses information from the American Freshman Survey that has been conducting this research for over 47 years, led by Psychologist Jean Twenge, to show the audience that the narcissism has increased over the years. He talks about how social media, and entertainment have made today's youth believe that if they are these activities they are something they are not. Ablow's point is to describe a level of Wallace's Default setting, to a certain extent, while Wallace is talking about how we should get out of that mindset.
In both Wallace's and Ablow's point, people are naturally just configured to think about themselves first and then worry about others later. The default setting is much more frequent in today's modern society and need to work on stepping out of their current mindset and hope to enable their new perspective of thinking "outside the box"
The article I found was “ It is time to act to protect children against gun violence.” This mostly talks about the massacre that currently happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in NewTown,CT. This connects to this weeks topic on default setting because who would come out of nowhere and start a shooting massacre and suddenly end up killing children. In this weeks reading “This is Water” by David Foster Wallace explains how us as humans are always in this default setting which everything is self-centered.You believe in yourself and not to others. The evidence that I found that this article is credible is that it is from the Huffington Post, and was published in December 21,2012. Also the author to this article I found named Marian Wright Edelman, she is a president of the Children Defense Fund, which is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
ReplyDeleteMarian argument is to prevent gun violence and start protecting children from that. One piece of evidence she uses is “All mothers who don't keep guns in their own homes but do allow their children to visit anyone else's homes should be aware that nearly half of Americans say they keep a gun in their home or on their property, that one-third of homes with children younger than age 18 have guns, and that more than 40 percent of guns in homes with children present are left unlocked.” This is true because if children are left alone, they do whatever they want. But the bad thing is that if the gun is found by the child, the consequences are very critical. One thing is that kids do not know how to use any type of firearm, unless if they were trained. So guns in the hands of children can’t happen at all. All parents must be aware at all times. This means that parents are selfish while having firearms in hand rather than just having public safety. Another piece of evidence is “ The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence reports a gun in the home is more likely to be used in a homicide, suicide, or unintentional shooting than it is to be used in self-defense, and other studies have found guns in a home are more likely to kill or injure a family member or friend than a stranger. Guns lethalize anger and despair.” This connects to Wallace’s “ This is Water” because he uses himself in real life talking about default setting. He mostly believes in himself only. This is all called “selfish thinking”. Even though thinking on your own is a habit of doing something, but it can cause tension within yourself and not thinking before you actually do the wrong thing relating to “It is time to act to protect children against gun violence”.
Both Edelman and Wallace use parents and his own self as a parent to undergo “default setting.” Because of parents thinking about violence there is no reason to release anger. Edelman states “Guns lethalize anger and despair.” while Wallace states “This is Water.” These quotes show the fundamental principle of self-centeredness and the fact that we should look beyond ourselves. Wallace believes that we are in a “default setting” and that “..there is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute centre of”. Wallace is right with this because we are always trying to relate everything back to ourselves one way or another with an addition of stopping violence into reaching other children.
The text i found is “What to Expect in New York in 2013” by Stephen Kroninger of the NYTimes, but their is a part in the article I focus more on the article about “Police”, by Wendy Rudeman. This part of the article is talking about where the position of police commissioner Raymond W.Kelly stands at after Bloomberg is no longer. Since Kelly wants to have a his legacy for his work in the police department throughout these last few years, so he will continue to run the NYPD the way he was in the last couple of years with the methods like “Stop,Question and Frisk”, which has caused controversy in the Black and Latino community who has experienced excessive levels of police abuse.
ReplyDeleteIn the article it states “Regardless of whether 2013 is his final year as commissioner, Mr. Kelly will seek to cement his legacy as an aggressive crime fighter who made New York City safer.” Basically the Kelly is willing to go through whatever in his very little time to win the title of the commissioner who kept New York City protected all these years. This articles connects to the reading from this week called “this is water” by David Foster Wallace. In this is water Wallace talks about how in society we often get too attached to the power of something and so we cling on it even more, like an addiction to the point where we want more and more, and it becomes our weakness. We become so afraid that we feel as though someone can easily take it away from us so we will do what is necessary in our power to keep it. Raymond W.Kelly wants to make sure he leaves a permanent legacy, and is so scared that he doesn’t get the credit he feels he deserve, that he is willing to fight with civil right and political activists who feel that some of the methods for city protection he has in the city is being use in a discriminative order towards the Black and Latino community.
This article is credible because it comes from the New York Times, Which is a large and successful Newspaper business, who focuses on diverse topics in their articles roaming from crime,politics to fashion, and even the latest gossip on the most well known celebrities. The article uses statistics, when he says “to do so, he must continue to drive down violent crime in 2013, or at least hold the line on 2012’s murder rate.” the author also makes sure he sounds neutral as possible when he talks about the feud between Kelly and the civil rights activists when he says “ “stop, question and frisk” practices or hot-spot policing strategies like Operation Impact, in which rookie officers, paired with veterans, are deployed strategically to neighborhoods seeing surges in crime. That will mean more news articles detailing friction between Mr. Kelly and civil rights leaders who believe officers unfairly target black and Latino residents for street stops.”
The article I read “ Is your generation more self-centered than earlier generations? By Katherine Schulten is an article talking about a research that introduces the idea that generation are becoming more narcissistic through the years. The article is explaining how even our song are expressing more negative emotion and using words like I and me compared to songs of years before where there were more use’s and we’s and conveyed more positive feelings. The research the article talked about was a survey done by Dr. DeWall and other psychologist that asked questions to college students from the year 1980 to 2007 and also researches the evolution of music. The survey ask questions about one self and their opinion on day-to-day situation and their importance.
ReplyDelete“ Is your generation more self-centered than earlier generation?” by Katherine Shulten relates to “ This is Water” by David Foster Wallace because both take on the idea that humans are self-centered. Though they differentiate because the article by Katherine Shulten is proclaiming that generations are getting more selfish throughout the years while David Foster Wallace’s is talking about how we as human being have a natural default- setting where everything is about us as individual and how we don’t tend to think about us as a group, they each respectively acknowledge that people are selfish and are going to put themselves before others because they are the center of their universe.
The text I found is credible because it comes from the very known, very respected news paper The New York Times , its been published since September 18th ,1851 and has won 112 Pulitzer prizes, plus its website has over 30 million visitors each month. The author of this article is credible first of all because she works for a very credible news company, second she has won the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers.
The author uses credible evidence by using the survey that recorded what a significant amount of college students from the years of 1980- 2007 done by credible psychologist.
Selfishness is a natural human characteristic. The question is should we be punished for it? Though it is a natural characteristic or a “default- setting” as Wallace puts it, it is a human characteristic that we can change as explained in “ This is Water.” Taking the time to pause, think, and then react is something that human could very easily do if they trained themselves to do it. But humans are too self - centered and just do what they feel is correct for them and would make them feel satisfied. Are we really satisfies though? Complaining and being depressed has become the normal , cool thing to do and being if someone if too happy or happy at all their not normal or their annoying. People are so eager to hear your misfortunes but as soon as happiness rolls around and you want to express it or share it is boasting. Helping one another has become less common, people only help when a great disaster happens but forget it once its not cool to care any more. They don’t seem to care about the every day issues, that them themselves are part of and don’t even know it because their too self absorbed .