Please read this story, Thank you

Central Argument: People these days are much more ruder.

            These days, the language has changed or at least from what it had been before. It seems like people have been much more advanced in speaking. But these days people seem to be much more ruder than what they were years ago. And the fact that people are more casual has made conversations more casual and informal which is not bad in it, but that fact that people do not use the “Traditional magic words” makes people to be deteriorating more.

            As children all of us have been taught about how you should use the magic words like “Thank you” “Please.” According to the article, something does seem to be missing, “The traditional magic words "please" and "thank you" that many people learn as children appear to be disappearing.” And that is true. People are much more informal and use the cool language that does not involve the magic words. Even listening to conversations like in the article, “Give me a tall latte. Hand me that hammer or have a good one” is what we hear rather than, can you please hand me the hammer… Thank you. People have become much ruder in the sense that they have now forgotten about the magic words.

            Even here at school, after we ask some one else for something, we just say can I have that. We do not say may I, or words like please. And after getting it, we just say I got it instead of saying thank you to the person who gave use something. This shows that we are turning into rude people when we are casual lot of times. That shows that we are becoming uncivilized when we are now supposed to be more than civilized people especially, because of the education that we have. Even in the article, it talks about how “Simple things that we took for granted as children no longer seem to count.” According to the article, Dr. Smith has also seen lots of changes in humans, behavior wise. Dr. Smith also mentions about how “Americans are becoming more rude and less civil.” This shows that people of this generation are actually becoming more uncivilized

            Although, in the article, Lacey thinks that people are becoming friendlier, it seems like they are just becoming friendly for their business sake. “Good morning, will you have the usual?” This might show that the person is client friendly, which does not make anyone bad, or anything, but this shows that the person is more of business oriented. People are becoming ruder although they are becoming much more casual. If, one wants to teach their kids about what “Magic Words” are they soul be able to apply it themselves in their lives. And people in general should preserve the politeness of the speech.

            

Why we like what we like

Central Argument: The things that we like is because of what we do.

            We as humans, have some likes and dislikes. And it is natural to feel that way. Although, what we like is not because of what it is but because of what we do or how we do it. The character of the substance or the stuff we like itself does not posses any special character itself, but the way we take them, use them and think about them makes it special to us.

            In the article Why we like what we like, there is an example given about how people are not even able to differentiate between dog food and pate when they are not told what it is; “It turns out most people won't notice the difference between paté and dog food, so long as the latter is suitably presented with the right sort of garnish.” This shows that we make things like “pate” to be edible and “dog food” as something that is only given to dogs not humans. In the article it also mentions about how “Chinese food tastes better with chop sticks” and that is because of how one thinks but not because of the special characteristic that “chopstick” brings while having “Chinese food.”

I have always told people that I would never eat a rabbit in my life, because they are one of my favorite animals. I was eight when my brother wanted to try some sort of experiment on me. I was blindfolded and was made to try many food items. He asked me about what I thought it was. So I said it was chicken for some, goat meat and I said that it was dried meat. Later on my brother revealed the truth to me. He said that the meat that I said was goat turned out to be rabbit, and the dried meat was crocodile meat. I was horrified. Although, now this horrible experience of mine explains about how people make things special and that is not what the object possesses.

We make things special because of what we know. “After all, if we can't really taste the difference between cheap beer mixed with vinegar and an expensive micro-brew, then surely this means that our preference for the finer stuff is, well, a pretension.” And it is true that people are pretentious about what they take, and what they have. If they think that it is good, then they buy it, use it and keep it, but people are not able to find out what the difference is if they taste when blind.

There might be exceptions in this type of cases. Although, it is true that what we like is because of what we do and how we do. Like the Dog food and the pate, we at times just need same type of garnish and we would not be able to tell the difference about what we ate because we think it is the same. And eating Chinese food with chopsticks is something that we do that makes it more special. So what we like is because of what we do, and how we do. 

What does it mean to be cool?

Center Argument: The meaning of the word “Cool” is something entirely different in different people’s views.

            In Woodstock school, students often use the word “Cool” to identify themselves to be better than the rest. You hear students say “That’s so cool” or “you’re cool” or even “I am so cool.” What they really mean by cool is to identify one as amazing person or an extra-ordinary person. Although, Stoic, the ancient Greek philosophers, view “cool” in a different way. And the act of being cool was first brought by the Black slaves in America.

             In the article, “Cool” has been described in many ways. They also have defined “Cool” in terms of negative attitude; “it’s also a symptom of anomie, confusion, anxiety, self-gratification and escapism, since being cool can push individuals towards passivity more than towards an active fulfillment of life’s potential.” (Bornstein). “it is more important to be ‘cool and down’ with the peer group than to demonstrate academic achievement” (Bornstein), is showing the real image of being cool in this modern generation with the youths who are in High school or college.

           Even the people of the higher rankings also have now begun the act of being cool. People at the level of “CEO is not cool, unless he is a reasonable risk-taker and refrains from pursuing success in a predictable fashion.” (Bornstein) and now even the presidents around the world have been classified as cool or non- cool president. “A president is uncool if he clings to absolute power, but becomes cooler as soon as he voluntarily concedes power in order to maintain democratic values.” And that shows that the meaning of being cool has been changed, and that it depends upon the idea of an individual. Nowadays, there are movies that talks about being cool and they make fun of the non-cool kids who are interested in studying and who are interested in becoming someone great in the future.

 “Cool is a balance created by the cool person’s style, not through straightforward rules or imposed standards” And that is true because it has been a trend especially since the Hip-hop, style or genre became very famous. Although, the Greek philosophers say that “all the things upon which we have no influence are best neglected, a ‘cool’ attitude is nurtured.” The stoics also say that “cool” is control as well. And that shows the different view of Stoics from the hip-hop generation, or even the current Woodstocker.

In the end, the word cool means a lot of things and they are all from different point of views. At times, cool means to be like the Hip-Hop artists, at times it means to be someone who does not care about their grades or anything. And with the Stoics they think that “Coolness is control; but the dictator who controls everything is not cool because he does not balance a paradox.”

Does Surveillance make us morally better?

Center Argument: Surveillance does help things to be morally better but, at the same time surveillance also makes things to be immoral.

            Moral values did exist from the beginning of the human existence where God told Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit, but they ate it. That was how the immorality of the people began. And nowadays you see surveillance everywhere around you especially with the CCTV and other technological stuff. Because of the advanced technological growth, there are many devices that have been made so that the world is secure and that people are ethical and that has been working quite well. Although, people have now began to slow down on their immoral acts because of the surveillance system that is around them which still does not make them honest because that is no voluntary.

            In stores and malls, there is an always high chance of theft therefore; they have a camera that watches the action of people who enters the store. And that does lower the chance of theft because people are conscious about them being watched by the security. At times, there are thefts in the stores and the looters are easily caught because of the CCTV that has been installed in the stores. “The reasoning is fairly simple: the better the surveillance, the more likely it is that moral transgressions will be detected and punished.” (Westaccot). This article also talks about the Highway rules and the surveillance system needed because people are incapable of being honest to them and that they need the help of surveillance system around them, in order to keep themselves from getting into trouble.

           Students here at Woodstock school are allowed to take their laptops to school. During their study hall times, students are not allowed to use Facebook, but the rule itself does not really matter. Students are usually on Facebook during study hall time, but when a teacher is roaming around, they pretend to be actually working on school work, by hiding the Facebook page. That makes them dishonest as they only work when teacher comes by to check if they are actually working. And teachers are like the surveillance machines. “But it also stunts our growth as moral individuals.” (Westaccot). The article gives an example of the I pod that the person wants to steal, but he or she does not because they know that it is wrong makes them morally better. But when he or she decides not to steal because they know that they are being watched makes their step right but does not give them “Moral Credit.”

          However, there is surveillance all around us, it does help the society develop into a peaceful society, although it does not always upgrade the moral value of an individual, unless they are willing to do something by being honest. Surveillance id required in this society of ours because, people are not capable to choosing the right, ethical value rather, they do the right thing because they are afraid of getting caught.

         

Of marriage and single life. Week 2!!

Central argument: Marriage is not a picnic when one is immature to hold the hardship as it holds one back.

            Of marriage and simple life, one of the essays of Francis beacon is about a marriage that at times does seem to be complicated. Francis Beacon has written about men who are immature and are married and compares them to men who have been married for longer period of time. Beacon says that people who have been through hardships of marriage and that have persevered for long in marriage are men, who are happy with their married life. And the fact that immature men are held back in their hardship of their marriage.

            “Yet it were great reason that those that have children, should have greatest care of future times,” a passage from the essay of Beacon does testify the great reasons of being married for longer period of time and that is after having kids. As there is a possibility that the kids would probably take care of their parents some way or the other. “Some there are, who though they lead a single life, yet their thoughts do end with themselves, and account future times impertinences” is what Beacon has to say about men who are single and about their future that does not seem to take anywhere better in one’s life.

 “Certainly wife and children are a kind of discipline of humanity; and single men, though they may be many times more charitable, because their means are less exhaust, yet, on the other side, they are more cruel and hardhearted (good to make severe inquisitors), because their tenderness is not so oft called upon” is what Francis Beacon has written in his essay and has told the reader that life after having children and raising them is a matter of learning in life because, there is discipline and responsibility that is needed after having children. This means that people who have been through more time in marriage are the people who are not held back as much as people who are immature and are married.

“Wives are young men's mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men's nurses.” Here, Francis Beacon writes about the truthful fact about men and their wives that they are married to. And to be honest, to be nurses is much better than being mistresses because Nurses, according to their job do seem to be much more caring than mistresses. There is a saying in one of Nepal’s culture which says that experience is the key to successful life. And that is true because, people with much experience tend to make fewer mistakes than people who are learning to be mature. And marriage is something that only becomes better and much enjoyable after quite a lot of experience that family goes through.

Of Youth and Age Week:2

People who are elder in age are much more experienced, as they have made much further than people who are young.

            There are many mistakes that everyone makes throughout his/her life and that is something that no one can deny it. Although, there are good aspects from those mistakes and that is that one can learn through their mistakes that one makes. Through the trials and errors that one makes, they learn to become more mature and wiser with the choices. In the essay Of youth and Age by Francis Beacon, it says that “because authority followeth old men” and that is saying about how old people are much more experienced with life.

            Everyone has to make choices and decision but at times, those are something that ruins everything. “The errors of young men are the ruin of business” is something that Francis beacon himself writes in his essay about how at times decisions that are made by young men are destructive. And after that she states that “but the errors of aged men, amount but to this, that more might have been done, or soon.” Beacon also wants to convey the reader that young men tend to be little stupid compared to older people “Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions, embrace more than they can hold; stir more than they can quiet; fly to the end, without consideration of the means and degrees; pursue some few principles, which they have chanced upon absurdly; care not to innovate, which draws unknown inconveniences; use extreme remedies at first; and, that which doubleth all errors, will not acknowledge or retract them; like an unready horse, that will neither stop nor turn.” And Beacon here means that young men are more adventurous and they try to go further than their limit to experiment with their lives.

            Beacon in his essay has made elder people far more smart and brilliant than younger men because “Men of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon, and seldom drive business home to the full period, but content themselves with a mediocrity of success” and that does seem true with the real world. I am a teenager and my parents are much elder compared to me. At times I do try and experiment with my life and make my own decisions that aren’t approved by my parents. I think that I am achieving success by doing so, but the truth is that what my parents tell me turns out to be the best decision for me.

            In the end, people that are older in age are much more brilliant because even, they have been through their youth when, they did make mistakes that eventually helps each one of them to learn and not repeat that mistake again. Although, they may not be the men who are able to learn new things, they do have the idea about what is right and wrong, and the choices that they make are much more sensible.

TV Is Good for You

Central Argument: TV is calimed to be unhealthy by many, but now it has helped improve many women of rural places like in India.
     Television has been distraction for many around the western end of the world. Although, TV is said to be something unhealthy, in some of the places like rural village of India, women have learned new things from Television. The study done by Jansen, of brown university and Oster, from University of Chicago has studied about the changes that television has brought in the thinking of women in India. TVs has not just given women insight about how to live a normal life, but has made women to be able to make their own decisions that are correct. And that brought entirely different lifestyle.

The women have begun sending their daughters to school rather than just sending their sons; “When cable came to town, boys' rates of school attendance stayed the same, while girls between the ages of 6 and 10 were 8 percent more likely to go to school” (Waldfogel). This act of getting cable at rural village in India has now helped women stand on their own feet and not get beaten up by their husbands; “The average number of situations in which women said that wife beating is acceptable fell by about 10 percent” (Waldfogel).

            It is true that in many parts of India “More than half need permission from their husbands to go shopping” (Waldfogel). And because of the TVs that have become extremely popular these days, women in the villages have started making their own decisions about shopping. Giving birth to a Son is something that illiterate women desire rather than being happy with what they have been given. Although, Television has now changed that mentality and the study shows that the “women's preference for male children fell by 12 percentage points” (Waldfogel). This does seem like an improvement in lifestyle of women who are uneducated. This shows that TV has been even more popular and useful instrument to make sure that people around the world, even in the most rural places get to understand and learn about the right decision that women make regarding their family.
 “Attitudes about women in rural India remain, shall we say, traditional: Women are expected to cook and clean and to have lots of babies” (Waldfogel), but now because of the introduction to some TV shows, the rate of children has fallen down, especially for women under 35 years, the birth fell by more than half. This shows the improvement of the lives of women in India.
            Indian women have their own cultural attitude, and to see those unhealthy cultures slowly been cut off from places seems to be something amazing. The fact that the changes are going towards the healthy side rather than worsening seems to be good. And all these changes are due to the shows that are watched in TVs by thousands of women in India.  The fact that women are gaining knowledge from TV makes TV the “Empowerment Box instead of the Idiot Box” (Waldfogel).

Rick Santorum, Meet My Son

Central Argument: Abortion should be something that the women should choose, as it has got the ability to prevent pain and unhappiness from some lives at the same time brings pain and sorrow in someone’s life.

Abortion, a deliberate termination of the baby has now been legalized in different parts of the World now.  Rick Santorum, meet my son by Emily Rapp is a true story in where Rapp’s child has got Tay-Sachs, a genetic disorder which possibly would kill the little child. Rapp regrets for giving life to Ronan, her son, rather than death in the first few weeks of his life. This type of killing would have been an “act of love.”(Rapp), is something that Rapp as a loving mother’s heart said about her own child. “Two years old, he is already blind, paralyzed, and increasingly non-responsive” (Rapp), would some mother want a child to be two and paralyzed, suffering from many other stuff? Or would a mother just be ideal to terminate the baby even before, the baby could feel something? I think the ideal situation in this case would be like Rapp’s own feelings. I personally think that the baby would have been better off without a painful life in this earth.

         “You should see how beautiful he is; you should see how he suffers, how his parents suffer.” (Rapp) This shows how much she adores her son yet wants and has regretted about something that would have been the best for her son Ronan.  She is in pain just by seeing her own son suffering extremely. I have seen a mother who went through tough time seeing her son suffer and finally leave her suffering son after two years of his life. And the pain just seems to be unbearable.  Likewise, not having the chance to abort Rapp’s baby left both the parents suffering along with the child. “Intense suffering, knowing that his neurologically devastated brain made true quality of life.”(Rapp) Has this situation made Rapp happy with her life? Not at all neither has is made anything happy for Ronan himself. If Rapp had decided to have an abortion almost three years back then, it would not have been the same, both the parent’s and the child’s life would have been much more easier. “Do I wish my child wouldn't suffer, that it would have been better for him to have never been born than to watch him struggle to breathe? To know that he will never speak, walk, chew solid food, toddle, or move? Yes. One statement doesn’t cancel out the other.” (rapp) This shows the remedy of her not aborting her child. It would have been much simpler if she had terminated Ronan’s life. 

         The choice that Rapp made about giving life to her son has left him be paralyzed, slow, blind and abnormal in many other ways, and that led to misery in the lives of Ronan’s mom and dad because of the suffering that their precious baby has been going through.