3AM - Cas Young

Growing up with the television, it's a part of my daily routine. Last night my entire family and I gathered around the TV and bickered about the Voice- it's a modern-day family game night except instead of guessing who killed who in what room with what weapon, we're guessing whether or not this particular contestant will choose Team Pharrell.
Because of all the work I have to do, I honestly don't have a lot of time for watching TV, but when I do, it's usually two in the morning and I'm alone in my room sobbing because good lord, I really don't know how this reporter will expose the corruption of the news network and salvage his relationship with his love interest... Honestly, I've cried more than I'd like to admit over TV shows.
That's another reason why I like TV, it lets me escape from a world of school and work, if only for a little while. I like getting really invested in the stories and I like getting all emotional over my favourite character- it allows a certain amount of connection you might not get with books. Books, in addition to taking longer, leave a lot of room for interpretation. Television gives it to you straight up, showing you exactly how things went down, and probably making you unreasonably frustrated, unreasonably upset, or unreasonably giggly.
I think with the amount of young kids watching TV today, we have to be careful with what we put on the air as well as what we watch. Kids are so malleable and so suggestible, I'm constantly monitoring what they watch making sure it's appropriate. I'm afraid if I let Ella watch too much Secret Life of the American Teenager, she'll adopt the personality of the characters, and if she turns any more into them I think I might just die.
I really don't think TV is a bad thing- it's a great bonding opportunity, but it's also important that we watch what we watch. There are some not-so-favorable ideals that some writers or producers might try to push, especially upon young viewers, and it's our job as the older siblings and the cool friend to help weed out the crabgrass in-between all the daisies.

POST FIVE MASON SAUNDERS

Television is a vertebrae in society's backbone. Jokes, allusions, and those weird comparison pictures you see on twitter all resonate references to TV shows and series. If, somehow, someone was to live under a rock for their entire lives and never catch even a few seconds of TV, they would be at a huge social disadvantage when it came to understanding references and making sense of conversational jokes. But is it good entertainment? That is an incredible relative question both to the consumer and the material consumed. For example, to a 6 year old kid, Spongebob Squarepants is excellent entertainment and there are rarely objections to that, however, a 68 year old retired patent office worker may not think the same. In summary, television can be good entertainment if you can align all the factors (age, interests, time, comprehension, etc.) but even when it is bad entertainment, it is still necessary to have a basic grasp of in order to successfully compete in modern society.

Meriwether Carling- Post 5

In the modern day world, almost everyone watches TV. Whether it be background noise or pure entertainment, television has made an impact on most Americans. I usually find myself watching TV during times when I am bored and have nothing else to do. It is a mind- numbingly, waste of time activity, but nonetheless an activity that I partake in on the daily.

Some of my favorite shows include Scandal, Parks and Recreation, and Revenge. Parks and Recreation is my top choice because of the main character in the show, Amy Poehler. Her along with the whole casts witty remarks and funny attitudes make me "laugh out loud" as I'm watching. I get very much side tracked when I sit down to enjoy these TV shows. Sometimes, I will start watching them, and then only after hours have past will I realize only HOW MUCH time in my day I just wasted from watching these hypnotizing shows.

Even though I do occasionally watch these shows on television, most of the time I watch them via Netflix. The idea of not being able to go through multiple seasons of 1 show within a couple of days (yes this is possible and completely normal) is making TV slowly start to disappear from the modern day household. The only time television is always watched is for the news and for sporting events, even though even these programs are aired throughout the Internet as well.

Assignment 6:Create Your Own Adventure

What interests you? What is your point of exigence? What's on your mind?  What do you want to chat about? Rant about? Learn about?

'Cause really, isn't it all about you? <wink wink nudge nudge>

This week, create three writing prompts that you find most intriguing. Then, choose one prompt and respond to it.

Note:
Please don't make the other prompts "dummy" prompts - I'll be revisiting these options later next semester.

Ready...

Go!

Due Sunday, October 4th at 11:59 pm

Assignment #5: Liz Graves

Having grown up out in the country my whole life, I've never had neighbors to talk to or go out with, so books and T.V. have always been my favorite pass times. Television allows me to experience the life of someone more interesting than I for a couple of hours. I get to escape into someone else's problems, that are almost always resolved by the end of a 42-minute episode. Unlike in my own life, I can also control the mood of the show I'm watching. If I'm sad and want a good cry I can watch any Grey's Anatomy season finale; if I'm excited I can turn on the Walking Dead and be on the end of my seat the whole time; if I've had a long day and just want to relax, I can watch Downton Abbey, and pretend my biggest problem is whether or not I remembered to invite the Duke to dinner. That, I think, is why I have grown to love T.V. so much; it's an escape from reality.

There are times, though, when I don't watch T.V. Sure, I have experienced the achey, burning eyes that come from binge-watching Scandal for six hours, but I always regret it. I try not to watch T.V. if I haven't been outside in a while, or I haven't exercised in a couple of days. The worst feeling in the world is watching a lot of television and realizing on top of all the time you've wasted,  you feel like a lazy slug. There are also times when I just don't feel like suffering through loud, repetitive commercials, or when I'm so irritated that I actually realize how bad the acting is on most shows these days. Truthfully, as much as what I watch depends on my mood, my mood depends on what I watch. Reality T.V., for example, always aggravates me. America's Next Top Model is never who I wanted it to be, Cupcake Wars stresses me out more than finals, and the people are so rude on Bridezilla I'm now afraid to get married.

I, like millions of other people, am often sucked in by the adventure and glamorous life-styles depicted on T.V., and though I do appreciate the escape that T.V. offers,  I think it's also important I make an honest effort to get up and do something productive.

TV Tommy Gardner

I don't watch TV very often at all. The only time I can be found watching TV is on Saturday mornings. Even then I only watch for about an hour. For while the only thing that played on our TV was a British car show called Top Gear. The show got cancelled (mainly because one of the hosts hauled off and punched a producer) so now the only part of Top Gear that runs are compilations of the best of the hosts over all the seasons. That was what played for a long time. Then there was Mythbusters. My brothers and I would watch it all the time when we were younger. Then recently the 3 sort of side hosts got fired and the show went back to just the 2 main hosts. As for shows that I don't like I would have to say, all the new shows on Cartoon Network for example are just really stupid. I think the worst is some show called steven space or something like that. I can't be bothered to google it because its just that bad a show.

Also if I offended anyone by trash talking that show, sorry.

Assignment 5 Brian Sato

TV is a great form of entertainment for everyone. The TV has unlimited channels that people can flip through and has so many genres to choose from. I watch TV to be entertained. There are so many things that I could watch whether its sports or an action film. I also sometimes don't watch TV because even though there are many channels to choose from, I can still get bored of the things that I watch. The shows that I love are; The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Modern Family. The shows that I hate are any kind of reality TV show because I think those type of shows are ridiculous and are a waste of time to watch. I also don’t like any romantic shows or soap operas because those shows are just absolute trash and should not have been made in the first place.

TV does provide a good form of entertainment because there are so many genres for people to pick and watch. It’s also a convenient delivery system for advertisers to send messages because many people also watch the news every day to stay informed of certain events that are going on. But some shows are biased on certain issues so they only give one side of the story influencing the viewers that that point of view is correct. It’s not always a stupid waste of time because viewers can be informed about important events that have happened which is very helpful. It can be all three because TV can be used for many things whether it’s influencing many people or a form of entertainment or something that’s silly.

Clara McKinley #5

Rarely would I be able to answer very specific questions about the tv shows I watch. Most of the time they are time fillers, what I do watch when I'm not quite sure what to do or just don't have the energy to do anything else. TV is exactly that for over half of the time, nothing but a time filler. I watch TV as an excuse to not doing anything else, including just doing nothing.
The television is my security blanket. It's what I do before I go to bed, while I do half of my homework, when I get home from school. I'm committed to my security blanket though. Once I pick a show a don't stop, sometimes in a bad way to. I tend to set goals with my shows, how quickly I can manage to get through seasons or the entire show. It's weird though, because I know my security blanket is so irrelevant to life. Television is fun but Grey's Anatomy and Unbreakable mean nothing.
TV is great entertainment but that is all that it is. The shows we watch do nothing more than help us to not have to think. The news obviously is different than that, but even when we watch the news half the time it is irrelevant information. Television is good yes, but not important. The Noble Peace Prize isn't announced on television because with out the TV millions upon millions of people care about it. Unlike this, no one cares who got the Emmy for the best whatever. They have to be publicized in order to have any importance.

Assignement 4 Brian Sato

This picture depicts the mourning family of the Kennedy family at John F. Kennedy's funeral. Everyone is showing a sign of sadness as one of their family members and the president of the United States has been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.

This shows not only his family mourning but it also shows me that the people of the United States were also in a state of sadness. But these are the times where the nation is united and becomes closer as people can come together no matter their beliefs and ideologies. There hasn't been an assassination of the president in a very long time so many people couldn't believe that their president was assassinated. Outside of this picture, many people were also mourning the death of their beloved president. After the funeral he was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. But soon after the assassination, the vice president was inaugurated into office.

Tell a vision- Henry Walther

Why do I watch TV? My response is twofold: information and entertainment.

I'm currently typing this during commercial breaks of 60 minutes. Over the next hour I will learn more about the leading republican presidential candidate (I refuse to say his name) and listen to Vladimir Putin discuss foreign relations. The mix of visual and audio displayed through TV turns sometimes boring stories into gripping tales. While hyper partisan networks like Faux News and MSNBC distort truths and propagate lies into the minds of innocent, naive Americans TV still has an important role in informing the public.

The other reason I watch TV is for entertainment. Shows like The Walking Dead or sports take my interest and keep it like no other. Whenever I need to wind down or relax I know the allure of 1080p awaits me at the touch a button. My mind can escape from the pressure and stress of school and teleport me into a different world.

I love The Walking Dead because of it's character development. It's not just a zombie show, it's a show about how ordinary people react to extraordinary circumstances. The show caught me early and even though it's gone slightly downhill, I'm too attached to the characters to let go.

Lauryn McNair #5

TV is pretty cool in the sense that the idea of one or a few, can be transformed into some pixels and provoke emotions or feelings in other people. TV is often portrayed as mindless and a waste of time, but it's also a good medium between people. Ideas, messages, opinions, are able to be transferred between mass amounts of people in a relatively short amount of time and in a way that entertains. Even if some shows are mindless or seem to have no point, can anything be useless if a lot of people use it?
By my prior statements, it's pretty obvious that I do watch TV. I think TV is a great way to, not so much "escape reality", but live the one that you can't. If that makes sense. Growing up very quiet-at least in public- and terrified of rejection and ridicule, I didn't make too many friends. That, coupled with the fact that I lived out-of-district for 7 years, I didn't spend too much time with my friends outside of school. Luckily for me, I really enjoyed reading. Back to my idea of living the reality that you can't, reading allowed me to do this. My choice of books being Harry Potter and the Percy Jackson series, I obviously and to my extreme dismay, could not be a witch or a demi-god.
As homework picked up in ninth grade and suffocated me in tenth, reading became harder and so my TV watching increased. Then in 2014 I was introduced to the wonderful world of Netflix. Netflix allows me to explore the great what-ifs in the world through entertaining 42 minute episodes. Like what if I was a rich, privileged teen growing up in New York with way too much time on my hands like in Gossip Girl. Or what if I was a poor, sloppy, 20-year old from Queens who found themselves working for one of the biggest fashion magazines in the country, as seen in Ugly Betty. Or what if we had a competent,bi-partisan government with enough liberal edge to make me smile as such is in the West Wing?
Basically, TV exposes me to a lot of new point-of-views.

Television and Entertainment - Daniel Kolpek

Television is a favorite pastime for many Americans. People love to watch certain shows and keep up with them. Season by season, episode by episode, fans love to watch the story unfold. As for me, I don't really watch much TV. As a kid, I loved to watch channels like Nickelodeon. My favorite shows were Spongebob, Fairly Odd Parents, and Drake and Josh. But as I've gotten older, I haven't really wanted to watch TV. I don't because in my opinion, there aren't many good things to watch on TV anymore. Netflix, Vine, Youtube, and many other forms of entertainment are becoming more popular than TV. Whenever I watch TV, it is because there is a football or basketball game, or there is some event being broadcasted that I want to see. But other than that, I never really have the time or desire to watch. I'd rather watch Netflix or Vine.

Noah Tapp- Assignment #5

Television has completely changed its role in my life. In the past, I watched television for everything: dramas, comedies, movies, cartoons, news, and weather. Now the only time I watch Television is for sports. On saturday mornings I eat my Honey Nut Cheerios with two Chiquita bananas and watch SportCenter and College Gameday for hours. Why? Well, because television serves no other purpose to me. All the shows or movies I watch now are streamed through the internet. And all the news I receive are from applications on my phone. There is no need for my television now except to watch people hit a ball in a colored box or throw a ball in a circle hoop. 

On the issue of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Emmy Awards.... it is a testament of our society's focus. We want to watch  fictional shows over real accomplishment. It's not like the nobel prize does not want to be covered by the media but rather people want to have an an award show. It depressing because our society should value world progress. We should be praising though that benefit the world an not be content praising those who are on scripted reality television shows. 

TV assignment 5 - Will Shapiro

I may be in the minority here, but I don't actually have cable or directv or any of that stuff at my disposal, and haven't had it for quite some time (6 years since we tossed the tv). That isn't to say I don't watch tv at all. I do watch lots of netflix, and hulu when I have the time, but all that is done on my computer or my phone, no tv's.That said, my favorite show on the air has go to be "Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Their lead, Andy Samberg, is one of my favorite all time actors and ever since his departure from SNL, I have been waiting for him to do something new. Ok, enough of that tangent. Do tv shows provide a good form of entertainment? Yeah duh! It's always relaxing after a rough day to just sit down and forget about your troubles for a while and just become immersed in your favorite show.

The Little Box With Moving Images- Viviana Ortiz

While I don’t have cable, netflix is great in comparison. Most TV shows I’ve watched have always been a reflection of a current hobby or train of thought. For example, I started watching Dance Academy after an impressive night with my friend at ballet under the stars. I started watching grey’s anatomy in order to see more into the life of a surgeon (the show doesn’t reveal too much about it, but did end up being one of my all time favorites). And then of course there is the occasional random tv show that simply pops up as a means of entertainment, like how I met your mother and gossip girl. While not very educational, these shows sure do stuff your mind with thoughts to spare.

Whether this is good or bad… it depends. Some shows have life lessons embedded in them like girl meets world (yes I watch the show, no I do not have any regrets), but there are also the shows that have no actual educational or any meaning, but are entertaining all the same. It is really in the hands of the audience of what they want to put on their TV.

Assignment 5 Alec

Television is like a box of chocolates, if that box had a couple pieces of dung in it. You really never know what you're going to get. there are plenty of well written, story driven shows with quality talent. These shows are well worth watching. Then you have the dung, shows like Jersey Shore, which fall under the category of "reality TV." They appeal to the least intelligent aspects of america, and serve only to waste your time. You may as well spend your time watching a ceiling fan spin as watch reality TV. Television is only as good as what you choose to watch. You can spend your time watching quality shows like Breaking Bad, or Game of Thrones, you can waste your time watching crap like Jersey Shore or The Bachelor. You are reflected by what you watch; The intelligent look for entertainment that fulfills, the dumb simple look to waste time. TV serves both, yet it cant be TV's fault, it is the fault of the people who subscribe to the dung. They are the ones who are ruining television.

Destination Procrastination

I watch t.v and more than likely you watch t.v. Its a concept that many utilize but few truly understand.

Nowadays streamimg services have taken over and actual t.v. is obsolete. Just recently I got Netflix and for many thats a crazy idea and thats exactly what I'm talking about.

I watch T.V and I watch it because its entertaining and it transports me to places I could never visit on my own. In many ways its just like reading, but everythings there the only thing required is your attention.

Back to Netflix, on Netflix like so many others I binge watch programs, the most recent of these is Once Upon A Time. In this show fairytales come to life in never before seen ways, and the overall effect is...magical. Its programs like this that capture the attention of audiences, the ones were magic happens but not in the literal sense. Magic happens when the audience is entirely emersed in the lifes of fictional characters.  In many ways this leads to us as a whole feeling more strongly attached to fictional characters, than scientific breakthroughs. We believe that because we have the shows readily at our fingure tips that it more directly effects us thus we pay more attiention to the emmys than to the Nobel Awards, because to many science doesn't effect them, but the death of a character does. That is why I along with countless others am on the train with one destination, procrastination. Where the only other thing is t.v and the entertainment it provides.

Tragedy- Emily Sandford

The Great Depression holds one of the most iconic photos of the Americas, it is titled Mirgant Mother. The picture itself shows a mother and her two kids. Their hair isn’t perfect, their clothes have seen better days, but they have each other. The kids are hiding behind their mother while clinging on to her, while she has a far off, concerned look. It’s hard to tell what the look is about but a good guess is about everything. During the depression times were rough, most likely the future was on everyone’s mind and how or if it would be better. And for most it did get better, but not for everyone.

The picture itself is used to help teach about the time, it shows hardship. Not the hard ship of a city worker, or a small farmer, but of a mother, and her family. This showed the world that everyone suffers, some just more quietly than others.

My Mother's Favorite Question Hye Jee Kim

Why do you watch so much TV? You have a viola, why don't you practice it? The PSAT is coming up, why don't you study? Haven't you already seen all of LOST? Why are you watching it again?

These are my mother's favorite questions. My answer to all of them is: I don't know.

To be perfectly honest, I do know. I just don't like to admit it. I watch TV because I don't feel like doing anything else. I could practice, but I don't feel like it. I could study, but I don't feel like it. This might seem like a cop out answer, but it's not. I sincerely mean it. With all of my heart. I really really really just don't feel like it. That doesn't mean that I don't think that I should be studying or practicing. I know that they would be a far better use of my time. So I watch TV to distract myself from that fact. Otherwise I would just be sitting around worrying about all of the things that I should be doing instead.

I've found over years and years of experience that the shows that are the best distractions are the ones that I've already seen. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the familiarity of them, or maybe it's the fact that I can watch them mindlessly since I already know what's going to happen. Whatever the reason, I find myself drawn to shows like: LOST, How I Met Your Mother, Friends, New Girl, Psych, Sherlock, Once Upon A Time, Chopped, Supernatural, Cupcake Wars, Doctor Who, and (please don't judge me) America's Next Top Model.

When I watch a show like LOST, I'm not thinking about the fact that I have a solo in CKYO (Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra) that I don't actually know how to play. Instead, I'm worried about a monster that keeps knocking down trees on an island that doesn't make any sense. The former seems like a much better situation to be in than the latter, but the latter isn't actually my problem. So I get to escape into a world for a little while, stress out about fictional problems, and forget about the nonfictional ones.

That's why I watch so much TV. It helps me forget. Sorry.

a little picture of positivity - Jodi Kirkner

I feel like a lot of these picture posts are about tragic pictures, things that horrify and sadden us. I don't like that.

A few weeks ago, the child depicted, Gabriel, was left at the scene of a car accident while the rest of his family was rushed off to the hospital. He couldn't move from his stretcher. He kept asking police for hugs, and he was clearly upset and distressed, saying he "just wanted someone to be there for him."

This firefighter, Casey Lessard, took Gabriel's plea as a call to action. He laid down next to Gabriel and got to know him, asking about his favorite colors, favorite animals--anything to get his mind off the crash. After a while the child became upset again, so Lessard pulled out his cellphone, and started playing the first children's movie he could think of, Happy Feet.

This picture made it into a local newspaper and then local news, sending a heartwarming message to a community of Mississippians.

In the world we live in today, the news projects all sorts of negative images, because those are the things hoards of viewers want them to report. I think that every once in a while, at least, we need to be reminded of the beautiful things that happen around us.

Although this picture is a small event, and may not have affected many, it definitely warmed the hearts of all those on the scene and anyone who heard the news in Jackson, MS.

Surrender Hye Jee Kim

Everyone knows about the refugee crises that's been going on. Thousands of refugees are flooding into Europe, prompting countries to take drastic action (like Hungary closing its borders). In the chaos of logistics and questions like "how will this influx of refugees impact the economy?" some are forgetting about the most important aspect. The human one.

This photo is of a young Syrian girl. Her name is Hudea. She's four. Upon seeing a photographer point his camera at her, she put her hands up in surrender. She thought the camera was a gun.


Remember when we were four years old? What were we worried about? Candy? The next episode of DragonTales? Hudea is worried about getting shot. She grew up in an environment that has more guns than cameras. And she's learned that if you don't put your hands up when someone points a gun at you, you die. That breaks my heart.

Seeing a girl, more than a decade younger than I am, knowing pain and fear and struggle that I probably will never understand breaks my heart. And I know that the refugee crises is far too complex for me to fully understand, but it seems to me that this is what people should be worried about. Not jobs being taken. Not overcrowding. This. Children losing their innocence and their parents powerless to stop it.

It hurts to even think about this picture. But it's necessary. Sometimes the most important things are the most painful ones.

I'm not sorry.

Cameron Combs-Assignment 5

I watch television purely for entertainment as do many other people today. Whether it be a television show, a sports program, or whatever else, the main goal is to make the time I spend watching it more enjoyable. One of my favorite television shows would have to be Prison Break. This was the first show that I actually followed from beginning to end and it had a lasting impact on me as a result. I very much enjoy watching game shows because I like comparing my score to those of he actual contestants to see how much better I would have done. I do at times also enjoy watching news reports partially because it keeps me up to date with our everyday occurrences, but also because they remind me of one of my favorite movies, Anchorman. Overall, I believe that my life would be a lot less exciting without having access to television shows on a regular basis.

the horrors of netflix (a confession from a millenial): rachael gilbert

first you should understand one thing about me: i am obsessive in my tv watching habits. i won’t just watch a tv show. i will research every actor, every hidden easter egg, everything about a show. i will become an expert. i will stalk tumblrs dedicated to a specific episode just so i don’t miss a single aspect of it. that being said, netflix will be the literal death of me. you see, until its invention i had to obsess over one episode at a time. and after a season was over, i had a year to recover. but netflix has absolutely no chill. i now have access to all of the seasons of all of the shows that i would ever even consider watching. i hate it with a burning passion of a thousand suns (i also couldn’t live without it…its complicated).

but, while i don’t like the obsessive behavior netflix allows, i don’t think tv is a necessarily bad thing. my parents tend to argue that tv doesn’t really have a point. it’s not mentally engaging like a book would be. i’m not quite sure this is true. i mean sure “keeping up with the kardasian’s” isn’t going to get you into harvard. but i would venture to say that’s not what most of us are watching (hopefully). we watch shows like “sherlock” or “doctor who” or “marvel’s daredevil” (side note if anyone actually reads these: you need to watch daredevil as soon as possible because it is actual perfection) which pose complex storylines as well as moral questions. they, at least, attempt to teach us something about morality or human nature (ex. doctor who tells us that those who are different form us are not inherently evil, and that good people can do bad things).

further, and i believe more importantly, they distract us from our own lives. the world is messy. right and wrong, good and evil, they’re not clear cut. our issues last months, even years. and there are no superheroes to save us. tv, at least for me, is comforting because everything is resolved in a thirty or forty minute episode. everything goes back to how it used to be and everything is perfect (at least until the next episode). and living in a reality that is far from perfect, that’s a nice fiction to keep up for awhile.

Ode to Television- Rachel Roberts

Television, one of America's favorite pass times.

But is this a good thing? Mindless hours of binge watching can't be good for anyone's sanity. We know that television isn't healthy, so why to we watch so much?

Television is a great source of entertainment when there is nothing else to do. You can seriously watch anything (and I really mean ANYTHING). They have documentaries on mermaids and shows about finding Big Foot to shows about shopping for wedding dresses and documentaries on marine life. There is so much out there, it's hard to be board with it.

It's also an incredibly convenient vehicle for advertisements. As annoying as commercials are, they are effective and they do stick with us. It's a semi-genius way for quick advertisement. I guarantee you can quote at least 5 commercials of the top of your head. As much as we hate them, we do here what the companies want.

The reason I personally watch television is that I was raised on it. We have a television in nearly every room (I know it's bad, we have a problem), so it's near to impossible to avoid. I have vivid memories of watching Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Power Puff Girls, and Samurai Jack with my Dad when my mom worked late. I remember watching SpongeBob and Tom and Jerry with my Mamaw. I remember watching Bear and the Big Blue House and getting so excited when I saw him in Disneyworld on my fourth birthday. I remember getting up early on Saturdays just to watch Saturday morning cartoons. I remember building blanket and pillow forts with my cousin in front of the television in our grandparents' basement and sitting in it and watching Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. I remember my older cousins babysitting me and letting me watch all the shows my mom wouldn't let me watch. I remember watching The Price is Right when I was sick. It's been ingrained in me since I was a little girl, I can get away from it now, it would be like taking a piece of me away.

I watch most shows, but at some point even I have to draw the line. I CAN NOT STAND Alaskan Bush People (yes that's a show). It is easily one of the stupidest reality shows I have even seen. Its about a family who moves into the Alaskan bush, which I know on the surface doesn't sound that bad, but these people are so incredible weird and stupid it's hard to watch. It would be very easy to avoid, except that it's my brother and Dad's favorite show. So whenever it's on, they refuse to change the channel and put it on just about all the televisions. Needless to say I avoid those rooms.

As I said, I watch many shows, but  there are a select few that I actually love. I absolutely love to watch The Walking Dead, kind of a total fan girl. When a new episode is on, I'm impossible to communicate with because I'm so emotionally invested in it. I also recently got hooked on Fear the Walking Dead. I also love to watch The Middle because I am Sue Heck and Sue Heck is me. And its not really a love but I have more of an addiction to Dance Moms thanks to my Mom who is absolutely obsessed with it. Not even going to try and hide this one, I absolutely adore Arthur.

Shut Out - Cas Young

I'm very sorry to have to live in a day and age where little boys are found dead trying to escape from their home country. Aylan Kurdi was a little boy found face down on the shore; he had drowned with his mother and his older brother in trying to escape Turkey to get to Greece. His father was the only one that made it there alive. 

Some countries in the EU want to close themselves off to the thousands and thousands of refugees that are escaping dangerous warring countries, and it shocks me to think that I live in a world and a time where there are some so selfish that they won't provide sanctuary for those who really need it. Not only is that unfortunate, the fact that there are so many people fleeing their homelands just trying to get away from fighting makes me physically sick. 

It makes me thankful for the life that I have- I don't have to deal with gunshots being fired constantly outside my window, I don't live in a warzone. I don't have to stand in lines with thousands of other refugees to get into a country that I may or may not be able to make a life in. I don't have to worry about the other members of my family turning up dead somewhere. 

Besides gratitude, it makes me think of how selfish we are as people and as governments. This issue doesn't only apply to the EU, it applies here as well. People are trying to escape their tumultuous lives so that they can make a better one somewhere else where there isn't constant war and constant fighting, and there are people who are trying to shut them out.

Little boys shouldn't die making their escape. They should grow up tall and thrive and I'm upset that I have to live in a time where that's almost too much to ask.

Assignment 5: For the Love and Hate of Television

The Emmy Awards (aired recently) are kind of a big deal. Not a big deal in that life-altering-kind-of-way, but a big deal in the sense that a lot of celebrities dress up, that a lot of companies pay more money in advertisements, and a lot of people stop watching reruns.

The Emmys are not the only award extravaganza of the season though. During the first week of October, without the advertising, paparazzi, or celebrities, the Nobel Prizes are announced. But how many people are listening? With the Emmys comes television's fall lineup, but what does the common person get after the announcement of the Nobel Prize in physics?

So, what are your thoughts? Choose one or two or all of the following prompts:

Why do you watch TV? Why do you not? What shows do you love or hate?

Does TV provide a good form of entertainment? Is it just a convenient delivery system for advertisers to send their messages to the masses? Is it an inane use of time? Can it be all three?

What does it say about our society that the Emmy's have so much glitz and attention and the Nobel Prizes are quietly announced in the news? Is this bad? Good? Appropriate?

Check out these sites for more information:

Turn off your TV

Television and Health

Positive Benefits of TV on Toddlers and Children

Due Sunday September 27th at 11:59 pm 

Assignment #4 Will Shapiro

The Sandy Hook shootings will (hopefully) always be remembered as the most violent school shooting in history. We will always remember the 20 kids and 6 adult staff members that died at the hands of some crazy freak who, only ten days before Christmas, robbed many family members of their loved ones. This event came as a shock to the American public and especially to the area of Newtown, Connecticut whose last homicide happened 10 years prior. In the picture above there is a family clearly grieving over their lost daughter. This feeling was shared by many family members involved along with millions who heard about it on the news. As a result of the tragic event, the school amped up security, and a major movement against the more dangerous/lethal firearms was born. Alternatively, it also sparked debate whether or not teachers should have guns in the school for protection. That just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, but because I have two brothers in elementary school around the age of the victims in the shooting the whole ordeal just left me astounded anyone could find it in them to go kill so many people. even though in the last assignment I said that there was no pure evil and everything was relative, I think that this may get a special category of pure evilness.

A picture is worth 1,000 words but I don't want to type that many- Henry Walther

Hope is lost easily. Looking around the world there is much to be saddened and frustrated by. But I will now label myself a hypocrite. I am sitting in my comfy chair typing on my laptop that I am embarrassed to reveal the price of in my house air conditioned to a crisp 71 degrees wearing molded plastic around my teeth because we have somehow deemed it socially acceptable to dump piles of money into fixing a few crooked teeth all while I think about at what university I want to spend 4 years and thousands of dollars attending.
Hypocrite.
How do I have the audacity to dare to comprehend the pain and struggle of thousands of people as I sit behind the glass wall that separates western civilization from all things that cause even an inkling of discomfort?
I pretend to know how to empathize with people's pain but I can't, nobody reading this can. Why? None of us have faced real struggle. Sure some hardships have entered our lives but we still have something that we call a "life". We have purpose. Meaning. Hope.
Now you may be thinking "why is he calling himself a hypocrite? He is not advocating to act differently than he does?" So why am I using that word? I am advocating for something I don't think I could do myself.
Syrian refuges like the ones pictured above are risking their life to escape their former lives and I advocate that country's and their people should take them in.
I couldn't take them in.
I wish I could say I'd open my door but I'm not sure I would or could. The narcissistic xenophobia that has been drilled into my head under the ruse of "american exceptionalism" has done it's damage. I want to love thy neighbor as thy self but artificial borders erected out of sand deprive billions of people from the mere opportunity of becoming my neighbor.

Back to the picture.

My favorite artist Kendrick Lamar (yes rappers can be artists) said this in his song Poetic Justice
                  "If a flower bloomed in a dark room can you trust it?"
I want to trust it. But I'm not sure if I can. The child refuges in the picture above come from a forsaken land but bring with them hope. Hope for what? Im not sure but flowers can sure as hell bloom in the most despondent of places. I'm not sure if I can turn the light on in the dark room.


I should of written this before I got all tired and nihilistic. Many apologizes.

Post 4- Meriwether Carling

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

These were words said by astronaut Neil Armstrong when he became the first human to ever step foot on the moon. Years before this historical photo was taken, some thought that it would be impossible for any country to ever send a man up into space and then land on the moon successfully. Here, it shows not only the mission being a success, but that America was the country that landed on the moon first. Armstrong planted the American flag in the ground to show that USA had won this "race to the moon" that the whole world eventually became a part of. This event shaped the world for the better. It allowed for others to see the impossible becoming possible. It made countries around the globe step it up. Because of this event, many others were sent up to the moon. This picture represents hope. It represents determination. It represents an unlikely event becoming real life. 

#BlackLivesMatter Lauryn McNair

Rioters. Looters. Thugs. This is what comes out of the continued killing of black people. Not hurt, scared, angry people who have a right to be so. Not people who feel no security in our law system. Not scared mothers who have to teach their sons the "right" way to speak to the police. Not terrified aunts who hope no one mistakes that toy in your nephews hand for a gun. Not humans, but things. This is a picture of a Ferguson protester, or rioter, or rebel, or whatever label helps America go to sleep at night. A protestor who was fed up with how black people, black bodies, are treated and viewed in this country. A country who promises freedom and equality. This picture shocked many Americans. For many people, they were outraged. In what circumstance should anyone tear down a city? Break into a building? Rip up the American Flag? The flag that so many people died for, the flag that represents our freedom? The freedom that allows you to burn down this wonderful flag. For me it was shock too. But for a different reason. How was anyone surprised this time? In a country which started a war over taxes, how could you possibly be surprised that one day we would get fed up too? That we were tired of getting attacked by dogs when we held up signs. Tired of having houses burnt down when we gave speeches. Tired of being killed for simply existing. Do I agree with breaking into buildings and setting fire to things? Of course not. But do I understand where it's coming from? Absolutely. When I look at this picture I don't see a rioter or looter or thug. I see a man who's done. A man who's done with being scared, of holding his tongue, of quelling his rage. A man who's tired of seeing people being made into hashtags. A man who's tired of me going to bed every night, praying that when the men in my family run into police, they live to see another day.

Assignment 4 Tommy Gardner

This picture is of a pile of life jackets, other flotation devices and in the back ground on the left there is a rubber raft. The pile of cast off belongings came from Syrian refugees coming ashore on Lesbos Island in Greece. Before this picture was taken there was probably a raft of refugees that came ashore. The group of refugees probably totaling 50 to 100 people. Also before this photo was taken there were probably smugglers picking through the piles of life jackets looking for anything valuable to steal and sell. Outside the frame of this photograph there is probably another group of refugees a short distance off shore, just waiting to come ashore safely. Also outside the frame there is probably the most recent group to have come ashore climbing the hills to get away from the beach, carrying all of their belongings. Finally, outside this frame there is most likely a group of people waiting for the groups to leave so that they can come down to pick through the piles of junk, searching for anything of any value.



Edit: I fixed the title, and I believe that it was the result of a cat walking across the keyboard trying to get a passed out me to pet them.