Bye, Bye French Fry

   Jokes have already started to be cracked about the new federal government- issued limitations on fat and sodium in school cafeterias. People say that french fries and tater tots will be the new weed: students will smuggle them in and trade with each other in sketchy hallways. These restrictions will soon be, and already have been in some schools, instigated nation-wide. All students will be affected by it, whether it's for good, or if it's for bad.
   In an article (link) on the Time Magazine website, it is reported that the  US Department of Agriculture discovered that "17% of all children are obese. Not just overweight: obese." This is a truly present issue in the US, which is why the USDA created the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act, which was signed by President Obama. While their intentions are good, should the USDA have the freedom to take away kids' choices of what to eat? When is it crossing the line for the government to make decisions about our lives?
   Many people are not happy about these new restrictions, and it's not just unhealthy-eaters that go to these schools. Many teachers and faculty members are upset because food is a big money-maker and incentive in schools. Whether it's a bake sale for a charity, a pizza party as a reward for a class, or a vending machine that some kids use on a daily basis, this will all be changed, and in some faculty's opinions, not for the better. People are now wondering how students will react to these changes. Will they take the bait and start to change their daily nutrition and eating habits, or will food in school cafeterias suddenly become a complete waste of money?
   For me, the biggest question is- does this act go against our right to free speech as it is stated in the First Amendment? Encouraging healthier options is one thing, but telling kids what to eat and taking away what has always been available to them is entirely another.

Liberal Twain

To those who believe that Mark Twain was racist for using the "N" word- not only was he not racist in any aspect, but he also supported the Jewish people in a time where anti-semitism was very common.

No One Understands

    If you read my "Race to Extreme Lack of Sleep" post, you know that I believe kids are under so much pressure to get into college, and a good one at that, that it is detrimental to their emotional, and sometimes physical health. Well what happens to these stressed students when they actually start attending college? Does the pressure suddenly disappear because they have successfully accomplished their goal? On the front cover of the New York Times today, there is an article (link) about freshmen in college being less emotionally stable than ever. So the problem of over-worked students does not resolve itself when college begins; it only worsens.
    Because of the recession, many college students must take out student loans, which piles on the stress when they start to feel that they can never pay that debt off. Another big concern for college freshmen, although they have just begun, they are already worried about jobs. In today's financially-challenged economy, college students are having a tougher time getting jobs than ever before. And some feel like they owe it to their parents, who have supported them emotionally and financially all through school, to get a stable job out of it. Because of all of these stress-inducing factors, the study on emotional health of college freshmen showed that the percentage of students who claimed to have "above-average" emotional health went from 64% in 1985 to 52% now. This means that the "race" to college is not over when college begins.
     On the New York Times website, the article features a picture of a whiteboard (link) in a Stony Brook university's health facilities, in which therapists meet with overworked students. This whiteboard signifies the pain and angst students are feeling due to pressure and stress: "Hold on if you feel like letting go/ Why am I here?/ Believe/ I can.../ Love yourself/ No one understands."

Meta-Blog

Bo'OC- Please assess Dancing With the Tea Party.

   In my last meta-blog post, I stated that blogging is "harder than it looks." And while I think that still rings true, I also feel much more comfortable blogging now, and can enjoy it fully. I used to dread doing research because it tended to stress me out and confuse me, but this quarter I found that I actually love to do research to support my blogs. The difference between stressful researching and enjoyable researching is knowing what you're looking for. This past quarter, I provided much more context, quotes, and links in my posts to back up my mentioned current events. I was most proud of myself after writing Dancing With the Tea Party. I actually had fun going through articles online and discussing the issue with my mom, and avid watched of the show, as I mentioned in my post. True, no one commented on it, but that doesn't matter to me anymore. This quarter, I've realized that I can feel great about a piece of work I've accomplished, even if it's not getting attention. Another way I have loosened up in my blog posts this quarter is in length. I now feel free to write posts that vary from essay-long, to 6-line short (Quasi Republicans). I also blogged more often than required, not for a better grade, but because I actually had things to say.

To quote Sarah, "Semester One =  survived, and completed ;)"

Enlightened Sexism

   "You're fun, you're hot, you're sexy. Who cares if you have crappy grades?" says Max to his younger girlfriend Rose, who is trying to get into Duke. Yes, this is a line on a cancelled, (but great, in my opinion), show Privileged, but teenage guys say these discouraging words everyday. Everyday girls have an internal battle between hotness and intellectuality.
   We say sexism is over? Well, welcome to the new age of it- "Enlightened Sexism." Time Magazine reports this new form (link) of sexism, which is subtle but powerful, and represented mainly in media. Some TV shows feature strong, smart women in roles of leadership and power, which inspires young women to be like them. But when we watch something like Jersey Shore or Bridalplasty, the message can be confusing. Do we work hard in school, or do we run around picking up guys at bars and letting them "smush" on the first date? I have to admit that I watch Jersey Shore like it's my business. But I also take it with an extremely large grain of salt. I look at it objectively, knowing that everyone on that show is shallow and brainless, and not a role model for me or anyone else for that matter. But some girls who are younger, and not so sure of themselves as many are not as they enter high school, really can't decipher who they should be looking up to- the female surgeon or Snooki?

   In Enlightened Sexism (link) by Susan Douglas, she theorizes that society now feels that we have overcome sexism, so we should celebrate by being sexist! Everyday we ignore little flashes of sexism or derogatory comments because we figure that it is one person holding onto their sexist ways, and that everyone else has grown above it. We as women accept sexism by watching it, listening to it, believing it, and eventually, succumbing to the stereotypes, and proving the sexists right.

Secrets, Secrets Are No Fun

   Clearly, the issues of Wikileaks and Julian Assange are on many people's minds lately, as Mr. Bolos also decided to blog about it this week. Assange, freedom of speech-activist and producer of the "revolutionary website" Wikileaks, is causing quite the stir internationally. Government officials believe he is "changing history" in the political world., and Time reports that his website "could become as important a journalistic tool as the Freedom of Information Act." In history's largest leak of secret governmental documents, Assange has gained the power to "put lives in jeopardy," as Hillary Clinton says. In a Time Magazine article covering the many views for and against Assange, the possibility of a "revolutionary movement" is mentioned many times.
   This reminds me of the fantasy fiction trilogy, Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. The trilogy is about a corrupt, Fascist government and how a girl named Katniss, who lives in the poorest of the 12 districts that make up their country, sparks a massive revolution by defying the government's binding laws. Like Katniss, Assange's defiance of the law is not exactly black and white. He argues that he is solely exercising his right to free speech, but is it his information to reveal, when it was given to him by others, possibly illegally? Technology has made it so easy for people to spread facts, slander, eye-opening discoveries, gossip, and just about anything. The fact that this new technological phenomenon is targeting big-name politicians has brought interest in what technology can do to another level.
   As Mr. Bolos posed the question, what should we do about Julian Assange and his new-found power? While some believe his purpose of educating the public about what exactly goes on in the decisions of our government is justified, others believe the opposite: is this extent of freedom of speech putting our country in danger?

Blame It, by Jamie Foxx

   Today, my group presented World War Two for the Perilous Times project. When creating the animoto(the slideshow summary of our presentation), our fearless leader Lauren wondered what song should play throughout it. Someone suggested "Blame It" by singer and actor Jamie Foxx. While this song is actually about the effects of alcohol, ("blame it on patron, got you in the zone"), we thought it would be clever because blame is such a reoccurring theme in WW2. We ended up using "Heard it Through the Grapevine" with a similar logic in mind. But the suggestion of "Blame It" got me thinking about how blame is so present in wars and troubled times. From the constant scapegoating of Jews in the Holocaust, to the vicious pointing of fingers in The Crucible, blame is rampant everywhere. It is, I think, one of the worst human qualities that people possess. Why would we turn against our friends and neighbors? Why would we lie, start rumors, and back-stab innocent people? The answer: to escape the blame, ourselves.