Final Paper - AWOL, its a love hate relationship

How I used to make sense of the American Life

This was way back in September, when the media and the government were actually good at keeping the greater majority unaware of what America was really like. I had believed "the best part of believe is the lie" (Fall Out Boy), that America was awesome we weren't poor, doctor visits were free and painless, the farms I had visited smelled of fresh grass and the cows practically smiled, I knew nothing about the constitution accept that it gave me the freedom to speak freely, the babies came quickly, Taco Bell was good especially since now they list calories and that for the most part all the people I knew seemed to be equal to one another... then I met Andy... dun dun dun

How I make sense of the American Way of Life now

I'll start with the constitution, like I said all I knew about the constitution was the undeniable fact that I had the right to speak my mind (which is why I never had a problem questioning authority). But when I had begun studying it I was not interested at all. But then I realized that the Constitution told a story, a story of slavery, inequality and power. I'd learned in all of 3 weeks that the foundation of this country was in the hand of rich, old, white, racist, men. Without the Amendments this country would be in for some pretty serious crap. Which says alot, that originally the constitution only benefited white men... and that's something that I did not know. Without the Amendments there would still be slaves, women wouldn't be able to vote, everyone would have to believe in the same God, plain ol' citizens wouldn't be able to keep their nine millimeters... I would go on but I'm sure anyone reading this gets the point.

Moving on, I never really looked in to the whole birth scene. I knew that after unprotected sex, intrauterine methods and sperm banks, led to pregnancy. Which in my opinion was decent knowledge considering... What I didn't know was the exact process of having a baby is completely and totally different from what society and TV has taught us to believe. In all of 4 weeks, I had learned that over 98% of women had their baby by C-section. At first it didn't seem like a bad thing, but most women have C-sections when there is no need to. The process of having a C-section involves 'drugging' your baby. Doctor's won't tell their patients this, just that after the woman is all high off of medicine the doctor says that its necessary to have a C-section to relieve the stress off the baby. Home-birth with a certified mid-wife is much healthier and much cheaper. But hospitals don't want the competition,so very little women are unaware that there are other options to having your baby ripped out of them.

While on the topic of hospitals, let talk about the health care system. Let me just say for the record that the health care system seemed nice at first. To me all I did was go in for a checkup and come out knowing either something was wrong or that I was healthy. But like everything else in America nothing is ever plain and simple. In all of 3-4 weeks I had learned that America has the worst health care system. Here there are more people not covered probably bleeding in a ditch than the people in cool shiny most likely to be infected hospitals. In other countries things like college and health care are free. This fact suggests that other countries actually care about the people living there and not the amount of money that they are worth. America might be ‘the greatest nation’ but it lacks sincerity for its people.

Food, something every American is familiar with. Never cared much about the topic other than I ate it when I got hungry. Food was always marketed as something neat and nice that was done with a wonderful family of four. But now you can’t walk more than 3 blocks without running in to a Burger King of Wendy’s. This, being the fast food corporations, is merely designed to pull the money out of consumers. Nobody really thinks about where their food comes from just that they get it. Well like everything else I had learned that that wasn’t the case. The lovely chickens and cows that people eat are actually suffering and then being slaughtered. The animals that we humans’s depend on are getting treated like shit, but no one cares. I learned all this with-in 2 weeks…impressive huh?

Oil, well I’m not too keen on this topic but apparently we need it bad…or else. Oil, from what I’ve been learning makes up just about 100% of the things that we need/use daily. But I’m sure that if some of these things were cut that we might just have a fighting chance.

Enjoy It?

Sometimes I enjoy the AWOL and sometimes I don’t, the American Way of Life is like Andy’s teaching you might not like it but there isn’t much you can do about it. I like that we aren’t starving…yet. I like that for now we have this illusion of freedom and I like the technology. There’s a longer list of things that I don’t like but I really don’t want to write that. Some of the dumb things here include the media. I cannot stress this enough, NOBODY CARES ABOUT HOW MANY KIDS BRAD AND ANGELINA HAVE! Honestly, why waste hundreds of thousands of paper on stupid crap like that. Right now it looks like we are headed for a slow collapse, but look at the bright side, we’ll all have new ipods.

Final Thoughts

I can't think about something or look at a TV ad in the same way anymore It's almost like I have to pick it apart and analyze and or criticize it. In some ways that will come in handy but in other ways it might make your social life a bit harder, for example if a friend asks your opinion on a new sweater, in September I probably would have said something like " It looks nice" or "that's a good color for you" now I'll end up saying something like "I hope you know that you're wasting the little bit of oil that we have left on this planet?" or "you're being sucked in to this whole marketing scheme to get your money" I guess that's the difference of being educated and oblivious.

Extra Credit

Comment for Jenise:
I like the way you start off your intro saying that the AWOL is alternative, and by the end after you get a taste of the real AWOL you change you mind. I think that it shows how your understandings of topics changed. I also liked how you said that you wanted to like AWOL, it made me wonder how many people believe that just because they live in a certian place they have to like it...

Comment for Kevin:
I like how you were able to connect to each topic of the course. It shows how geared you were into the American Way of Life. I also like how you imply your favorite was the food topic. I wonder, are you going to change the way your AWOL is or not?

Collapse Assignment 2 - Short and Smart

The 'possible' collapse, I really don't think that word can eve be placed in anywhere in that statement. Andy, didn't really leave room for possibility. But when you think about it, it doesn't seem like America can avoid this collapse. Like in the Easter Island reading the civilization basically fell because they were terminating the things that they didn't know they needed for "dumb shit"(Snyder, 6/8/09). This is where it relates to America, here they cut down trees, clear cut forests, make hundreds more landfills, use up oil like nothing all for stupid crap. America has been in this cycle for centuries and I don't think people will stop now. There is an amazing quote I'd like to share from the movie Across the Universe, [two characters were talking about the war protests that were going on] "maybe when bombs start going off here, then people will listen". I think that this applies here, in America people wont care until this bad shit starts happening to them...i.e a collapse.

What is scary about this is the people of this society don't really have a choice on what rain forests get clear cut or how much oil gets used or how many fast food restaurants get erected on a yearly basis. But its going to be the poor and middle class that get affected from this recession and this upcoming collapse, the rich will get on their jets and cause problems for other countries. The fact that the people don't contribute much to this collapse sucks but will have to stick around for when the real problems start. That sucks

It seems that America wont be able to bounce back from a collapse. America depends so much on money and the extortion of the poor that if something happened to their primary form of income they wouldn't know what to do. 'Let's go green!' yeah , well look how bad that's going. Big corporations hold a few rallies and paste up a few posters and call themselves 'going green' so that when the amount of pollution gets worse they can blame it on the people. When in reality it's places like, McDonald's, Shell Gas Co and MTA that are contributing to the rapid decline of oil. If these big business were taken away even for a second America might just have a fighting chance against the all mighty COLLAPSE

Collapse Assignment 1

I think that the most important part of the reading was where Jared Diamond was baffled by how the civilization had managed to do certain things when it seemed that they lacked the necessary technology and resources. I thought that it was interesting because it shows that there are things that can be done without the constant upgrade of useless technology. I also thought that the way that Jared Diamond described the island was quite interesting. It [the description] was designed to show the reader that the setting basically screamed 'under privileged' and I think that showing that aspect of being deprived was essential to show the meaning of collapse.

Honestly the whole time I was reading this all I thought about was the United States. When Jared described the long journey to get to the island it mad em think of how people go on long journey's just to get to America, and the view that he saw when he had arrived gave me thought of how when you get to the 'land of the free' you might be one the one had happy that you made it and on the other hand thinking 'what the hell is this?!'. What was different was they were able to 'strive' without the excessive dependency on new gadgets and gizmo's. Whereas America is top notch everywhere and somehow stuck in a recession. Gives you something to think about...

I think that our culture needs to rethink alot, the people need to be involved more in our government. We should focus more on equality than money and war. But honestly there are a million suggestions that one could make but in the end it becomes a waste of time.

To Be Oblivious Is To Be Profitable -- Final Food Paper

It seems like when it comes to everything in America no one (or at least our class) seems aware of what is happening in our society. It makes me think that these ‘evil’ corporations are doing a good job at keeping us unaware of what’s really happening, all attention is devoted to keeping us [the consumers] interested in buying their products. I think that this is because we are always shown the + side of everything when we are young and from then on we don’t look into anything anymore because it doesn’t directly concern us. Take Vroom: Farming for Kids, yay big tractors that make loud sounds not to mention a great spokesman who makes farming seem like the best job that a kid could have. That sounds fun when you’re young and all but when you get older in a way you are in this state of mind that says that farming is fun and harmless so you don’t really devote more attention to the subject.

Just last weekend I watched a movie called Antz. It’s a animated children’s movie about how ants work and how one poor worker ant gets the rich girl while managing to cause a revolution within the nest. I just realized how many messages were being portrayed through this seemingly harmless and funny cartoon. I have not watched that movie or even thought about it in years. When I was a child, all I thought was how funny and cut the insects looked and I never thought about how it shows that the rich are the oppressors and it’s actually the workers who have the power if they only realize it. So in ‘fun’ farming movies we are under this spell that farming is fun and harmless, boy were we wrong.

What seems even weirder is that we [Americans] are in a way given constant reminders and notices as to what is happening. But somehow any chance that we have at gaining awareness all seems to go out of the window. Take the Meatrix the video in plain ol’ English tells us how bad things happen, I highly doubt that many people are actually aware of how they get their precious beef and chicken and pork. I wasn’t aware that the very animals that are killed get treated so horribly. Also there is also that aching response “so what?” to the constant reminders that our society for lack of a better term, sucks. It’s almost like the American people want to be oblivious, which in turn leads to more money going to McDonalds and stupidity coming to this society.

Take birth for example, countless sources are on the internet about home births and how the doctors for many women may not be the best choice. But what happens? Women, actually almost 100% of our female society go in to the doctors with high hopes and happy faces and come out with a doped up baby and a sob story. It’s almost like it’s being oblivious has become attached to our society and the only ones benefiting from this are the rich.

Food is a big deal in this society. Mostly advertising pulls everyone in depending on the demographic. What’s amazing is that even when those rare times arise when people are aware they don’t fully grasp what’s happening. I have taken the whole food thing into consideration. I showed the Meatrix, video to my mom and she actually started looking in to more healthy places to purchase our food which in turn makes me more aware of where I get my food from. Ever since we have started this food unit my mother has taken a great interest about what is really happening with the food that we buy. Just like when I went to the food conference I brought her back a little booklet that suggested healthier things to look for when you go food shopping.

I think that actually taking the time to sit back and think about something affects you take a certain level of patience. To be able to think about or even care about the life of the poor chicken that you are about to digest. Its because we weren’t taught to revolt but to accept what is given and we are forever stuck in a cycle of nonchalant oblivious people. Maybe if that were to change this lovely society might get somewhere.

Food Paper 1'st Draft

I chose to come at this from a money angle (as I do everything else). Marketing through food seems to be a very generous career if you're the CEO of Burger King or McDonalds, and if you're not the food marketing business has also been quite lucrative for non-fast food like Purdue or Boars Head. Money is to be made all around if you happen to be involved in food at all. That's well known, we get our food is not so well known. Most American's are concerned that Burger King still has char-broiled whoppers and not about the poor pathetic life of the cow that lived in its own crap for months at a time and never even go the chance to have a normal sex life as explained in Our Daily Bread and the Meatrix.

When we were kids we were taught that farming and big tractors were fun and that the little cows and the little chickens and the little pigs were all walking around with big smiles on their faces. From then on we [American's] have little to no concern of where or food comes from, just that we get it. In Vroom: Farming For kids, an enthusiastic view of farming is portrayed greatly to the kids who view it. What they so elegantly leave out is the fact that the animals that they have there are in the worst living conditions possible. Cows,chickens,pigs all cooped up with little to no room to move.

You Say Tomato I say To-mato, You Say Potato I Say Pah-tato

Well, Well, Well apparently we all have come a long way from those blogs where we don't get to the point or we just don't do it. While I was sort of sitting in on another class Andy addressed that the grades have gone up alot from the beginning of the year. He seemed sincerely perplexed...Well let me just say, that the point of school is to learn, and if given time, the right teacher and the right materials believe it or not Andy this thing called learning will happen. Eventually, the things that have been drilled in to our heads will stick, I've been told that brainwash...er I mean 'clever manipulation' works best. It seems that now it's almost impossible to see anything the same as we did 8 months ago, (not that that's completely bad). A commercial isn't just a commercial anymore, its a message to get people to spend money in the worst ways, birth isn't just birth anymore its a "billion dollar business", health care isn't the warm and loving doctors waiting to help us, its a scheme to make us all poor.I believe there's a thin line between deeply criticizing something and paranoia.

Food #8 Industrial Food

Addressing the following sources: Industrial Food Isn't Cheap & Animal Cruelty

For the first one, I agree. Although I do see some area's for argument. The major food franchises such as McDonalds, Burger King, Quiznos, Subways, 711, KFC, Popeye's and so on; have some prices that are a bit outrageous. They [major food franchises] have invented some clever ways to keep people interested: 1. Introduce more food for cheaper prices, 2. Include more food in the meal, 3. Adapt a similar food from another food franchise for cheaper, 4. Have monthly sales where things such as 'chicken' nuggets are sold for .99c These corporate schemes pull people in to the point where they wake up one morning and notice that they've gained 400lbs overnight.

Which connects to what the source addresses in the first line of the article "If you added the real cost of industrial food -- its health, environmental, and social costs..." that this fast food thing that America has going here is costing more than this weeks paycheck. Food is a big deal here and advertising it is even bigger. It pulls us all in at some point, you see some coupons for Starbucks in the Sunday paper, chances are that you are going to use them. To an extent everyone is pulled in to the fast food world. And it's not good for your wallet or your body. But getting people to stop would be almost completely out of the question, prices will raise and lower and recessions will come and go but ultimately at the end of the they the typical American must have fast food, soon to become faster food.

For the second source, animal cruelty is something that I think most people are familiar with, when it comes to using baby alligator skins for new purses or African chinchilla's for new mink coats but people tend to act oblivious to animal cruelty when it comes to actually eating it. When you see the poor defenceless cow being tied down and then slaughtered for next week's Big Mac, people get jumpy and disgusted, its almost like they [humans] know that eating all these animals in mass amounts is bad, and for the most part isn't exactly nice but if they [humans] actually have to see it it's completely out of the question. I feel that if these animals have to be eaten they should at least be treated with respect before they meet their certain doom.

One of My Favorite Simple Recipes - LATE

Uh... Honestly this is as simple as I'm going to get.

What You Need:
- 1 Blender
- 1 Container of Strawberries
- 1 Bag of Grapes
- 1 Pineapple
- 1 Mango
- 2 Banana's
- 1 Container of Cran-Grape Juice
- 1 Cup of sugar
- 1 Cutting Board
- 2 Ice Cubes

How Long Should It Take:
It shouldn't take long, once you have the fruit and juice and sugar, place the ice in the cup first then you can add all the fruit in whatever order pleases you best. If you want it 'smooth' add only 1 teaspoon of sugar and blend for 5 min. If you want it 'thick' add it 2 tablespoons of sugar and blend for 8 min. Then Enjoy

My Home Made Smoothies

- Strawberry's (cut in 1/4's)
- Pineapple (cut in cubes)
- Grapes (the darker ones)
- 2 Bananas
- 2 Mango slices
- 1/3 cup Cran-Grape Juice
- 2 Tablespoons of sugar (just because I like it that way)

This isn't going to make it to school...I'm going to drink this when I'm done with this post.
This is one of my favorite recipes because it is quick and simple and not to mention it tastes good, and it seems to be filling and semi-healthy. Its cheaper than going to Jamba Juice or Pink Berry; its my own private way of sticking it to the man!!

Make Up - Pollan Response

The book was semi-interesting, the introduction was engaging and not overly wordy. I like the fact the he brought up that Americans have too much of a variety that we glorify the things that shouldn't really be glorified. I agree completely, no matter what the topic or the subject there is always 1,000,001 ways to do it. Like choosing a home: do you wanna live in the suburbs? or in the city? do you wanna big house? or a studio? Like having a baby: do you wanna have it naturally or do you wanna let the doctor rip it out of you? (you'll never guess what women choose) Like choosing a history teacher: do you want the funny black guy? or the sarcastic white guy?. We have so many choices to make everyday, so when it comes to food as 'omnivores' we have a huge dilemma. The books goes on to say that America lacks basic culture when it comes to food, because of our large superficial variety. As opposed the (I can't recall the name of the tribe) who have a large diet composed of only corn or mostly corn.

My family and I don't really listen to the 'experts ' whoever they may be. My mom likes the food network and the recipe website I'm not sure if that could be considered as 'listening to the experts'. I will say that in some ways we do, take all these new and flashy products, like the 'magic bullet' a new and sleek blender that chops food up...yeah gotta have it. In this case the 'experts' do say "You'll love this little baby, its small and fast and sleek only here for $19.95" So naturally that commercial is going to attract the eye of someone. I think that the biggest influence on the food we eat second to the advertisements on posters and TV, are friends and family; the people that you spend the majority of your day around. If a close friend says something like "oh, that place makes the best fries" eventually you're going to go there to try the "best fries" if your mother says, "oh get this meal because it has less calories" you're going to take that in to consideration and get the meal with the fewer amount of calories.

For A Teacher With Morals

Yes, this lovely suggestion came directly from Mr. Snyder. "We should all take a trip to Queens" (Snyder, 5/6/09). Anyway, on to the food unit, at first glance one would think that this may be the one unit where Andy wasn't...well Andy. Even if its something small its always something that we are being brainwash.. er I mean manipulated slowly to do. This is a unique and clever set up might I add, that shows us to 'eat healthy'. Take the food journal, for instance, we all post things like MacDonald's, and other various junk foods, whereas Andy posts smoothies with flax seed and almonds. Or when we made a lists of veggies and fruits that we eat in a typical week, we had never even heard of anything like that, but Andy topped us all with a record breaking 40+. (GASP, you deserve an award). Was this meant to make us take a look at what we eat or convert us? Not sure, but let me say this,I'm so happy that Andy is given us the new and fresh look on food and life. "Teachers love it when they feel like they've helped a student" (Snyder, 5/5/09). There, there Mr. Snyder.

How my family uses the grocery store... extension of Veggies, Fruits & Grains eaten in a typical week...by me

Depending on how bad my family needs a certain food will affect where we shop. Mostly my step dad will stop by Wall Mart on his way home. This is where we get the bulk of our items because things tend to be cheaper here than at the grocery store by our home. We get the milk and cereal and juice and frozen foods and chips and case waters and movies and all that other good stuff. But if my mom is in the middle of cooking and she needs buttermilk or rosemary for something then the corner store will have to do. In many ways its convenient, its close and it has things that aren't offered in other places in the city. I think my mom and step dad have OFSD level 3. Other wise known as Obsessive Food Shopping Disorder, its a fatal disease. It used to be worse, they would be at the grocery store every other day. I guess the fact that the freezer wouldn't close anymore gave them the hint that they need to stop. But I think that there are a lot of people who buy a bunch of things that they may not need at the moment but they buy it just to have it for later... and the time after that ... and the time after that.

What Veggies, Fruits & Grains I eat in a typical week

Fruits:

Orange
Cantaloupe
Pear
Apple
Banana
Strawberries
Blueberries
Pineapple
(mostly in a smoothie)
Tomato

Veggies:

Broccoli
Squash
Yam
Corn
Collard Greens
Spinach
Green Beans
Carrots

Grains:

Potato Bread (not sure if this belongs here)
Rice (sometimes)

Extra Credit... all the way from Brooklyn..

Well today was kind of fun, I'm not going to lie. Some friends and I registered and then we looked around at a few of the displays that they had at the tables in the gyms. The table displays were kind of interesting, I liked the tables where they gave out buttons, and pens mostly the free stuff. There was a table that was selling cookies and brownies that I liked (because I was hungry). There was also a table that talked about the rapidly declining number of bees. We then stayed for a workshop on school lunch, it was not what I expected... The speakers were advocating for more healthy foods in New York City Schools. I'm not against that but I am against that being the only food that is available in school for us to eat. I thought that it was great how they wanted to have more plant-based foods that kids might appeal to offered in schools. I don't think they are going to get to SOF. What bothered me even more was the fact that they had kids who attend John Jay High School on the panel and they were also advocating for only healthy food to be served. The only thing that was running through my mind was they are ALL lying. Then the panel went on to discuss how they want vending machines to be taken out of the schools. SOF would disintegrate if there were no Snapple's or FRESH water or gummy bears that we could snack on. Maybe I'm blinded by junk food, but I think they should see things from kids point of view and maybe they can come to a compromise about healthy vs unhealthy.

May Day

I didn't know about may day at all. What I know is that in American society we block out everything that the big boys up top don't want us to know about. Why would we be educated about a day when workers got together to 'stick it to them man' if the mass majority of underpaid workers, uninsured workers, mistreated workers etc. got together that would be a nightmare for the books. But then again things have been horrible in the United States for generations, how would the education of one day when the workers took their power back do anything. I feel that we have been trained in a way to do what we are told and to never challenge authority. So a day that goes against what the bosses...the rich bosses believe in is something that very little to no people will know about.

Food Journal

Lunch Tuesday (12:30pm)
- Salad w/ corn, craisons, croutons, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing
Tuesday Evening (7:15pm)
- 1 bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- 1/2 cup rice pudding w/ cinnamon
- 2 bottles of Poland Spring
Tuesday Night Dinner (9:30pm)
- Stir fry (fresh broccoli, mushrooms, green pepper, yellow pepper)
- 2 Vitamin C pills
Lunch Wednesday (12:30pm)
- 1/4 turkey sandwich
Wednesday Evening (6:50pm)
- Fillet Fish w/ French Fries
Wednesday Dinner (9:00 ish..)
- Slept through dinner, I'm told sandwiches and french fries were served

At lunch on Tuesday, I went to a store by school with my friends, the place wasn't that crowded. The seating arrangement never really matters and we all get something different. It takes a while to get your food depending on what you get. I finished my food last as I was the last to arrive. I believe I had the most expensive food within my table. I ate my food in all of roughly 10 - 13 min with nothing to drink. I watched the cook prepare my salad and told him what I wanted in it. Over lunch we usually talk about things that have happened in school or plans that we want to make over the weekend sometimes old stories for a good laugh. I felt that the salad was worth the $6.25 because it was alot and I was able to finish it all.

Tuesday evening I was home and I was hungry but not starving, there is a TV show that I like to watch on Tuesdays and I like to watch it and eat, its a ritual, a must do or the world will end...yes, seriously. I ate a few snacks but nothing too heavy because I knew my mom was going to make dinner. By the time dinner was ready, my second show was on and I had dinner and watched that. My mother did her bills and ate dinner, so we did not eat together that night I felt good because I got to eat dinner and watch my show, because I hate sitting there watchting my show without dinner or a snack.

I didn't have money for lunch Wednesday, and Sandy offered me a 1/2 of a 1/2 (beggars can't be choosers) not that I begged, but I didn't complain to what was given to me. By 5 I was hungry yet again, so I decided to go to my aunts job to mooch off of her and I ended up getting McDonald's out of the deal (not my first choice but better than nothing), i'm not really into McDonald's all that much, the food was good cause I was dying of hunger but otherwise I wouldn't be eating there Wednesday night for some reason I was completely burnt out, and ended up crashing through dinner, which I didn't mind because I got much needed/wanted rest.

Food Cultures & Home & Corporate

Lets see, it depends on the night in my house. We are never in a rush when it comes to dinner because after dinner we go to bed. My mom always cooks something new for us to try. Generally we only eat dinner in front of the TV on Thursday nights, for Greys Anatomy. My mom usually makes a big meal on Monday or Tuesday and then we eat left overs Wednesday and Thursday. Most weekends we eat out somewhere, Red Lobsters or Edo's or Friday's or Giovanni's. On, TV dinner and family life are always portrayed as the woman cooking, and the man and kids waiting at the table. That's how it is here, depending on the day. Sometimes my mother may not feel like cooking and some nights I cook and some nights we heat up left overs. I would guess that a large majority of women cook for their families and the man is waiting or watching TV and possibly on a rare occasion helping. I only see men cooking for women in movies, but I will say that for special occasions like Mother's Day or Birthdays men do their part but women are going to be stuck in the kitchen for a while. Even in marketing, women are always the one cooking. It's always some 'happy' Caucasian female standing in the kitchen with a 'happy' Caucasian male smiling over a steaming glass dish of baked whatever. But in reality the woman is not smiling the man is probably downing his 3rd beer and the kids are in the back playing X-box. Corporate America likes to portray these happy scenes in order to encourage people to buy their products. So that they typically unhappy mother may buy a hot steaming expensive dish of 'home-made' crap.

Internet Research for Quesion

Who is targeted in the food industry?

I was surprised to find that alot of young people are targeted when it comes to fast unhealthy food."Some fast food chains target their advertising at children and students - an important market for them. McDonald's Happy Meals are one example, which includes a toy often tied in with a newly-released children's film. Ronald McDonald, first introduced in 1963 is a clown-like advertising mascot designed to appeal to young children." Its a slick industry using children to get the money out of the parents pockets. Whats the one thing that little kids love? TOYS! sliding in a smooth new updated toy every month or so is the perfect way to keep the kids interested in their food and not their waistline.

Also targeted, teens and young men. The word most associated with America is POWER, so why not associate that word in to food, perfect idea. "More recently, chains like Carl's Jr. and Burger King (see Burger King advertising) have directed advertising towards a different demographic – young teenage and college-age men – with trendy, often sexualised, imagery and messages that target men's supposed desire for large, meat-filled burgers and rich, satisfying food." You want to be big and powerful? just go to Burger King...You'll be big alright.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_food_advertising

Refrigerator Assignment

Honey Mustard Sauce
Miracle Whip
Apricot Jelly
Grape Jelly
Ketchup
Stir-Fry Sauce
1/2 Watermelon
Rice Pudding
Dannon Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (peach, pineapple, raspberry)
Butter
Snapple
Hawaiian Punch
Coffee Creamer
Pickles
Eggs
Capers
Tar-Tar Sauce
Fresh Shredded Parmesan & Cheddar Cheese
Hot Sauce
Sour Cream
Onions
Tortilla Wraps
Salad Spritzers

This relates to our culture because we [Americans] are associated with having a wide variety of other cultures adapted in to our own. There isn't just one kind of food from one specific culture there is always going to be a large mix from everywhere. I think that media has a big part in that because we are constantly influenced to 'try new things' and one of the ways we think we do that is by trying all the 'foods' that these other cultures serve in their regions, we adapt them by calling them Taco Bell or Pizza Hut when in reality this is just a very Americanised way of seeing things.

Health Care Assignment --- Thoughts from Class

In class & extra thoughts:

When we were watching SiCKO the film gave us a much needed look in to the lives of the people that don’t have it all. Here in America things are made to look like everything is fine and that life is all good. There is a part in the film where Michael Moore takes a bunch of people to Cuba, where they then get free health care and cheap drugs. Someone asks if they can get in trouble for doing that, and Andy said “the Cubans are very good at differentiating the American Government from the American people” (Andy, AWOL 4/23/09). I thought that that was a good point, it made me think about how we as a people are separate from our government and in the end its us against them, and we out number them so what the hell?!.

Health Care Assignment

Should the U.S. move to a Canadian, French, or English model of health care?

Something that is portrayed to be so easy and so FREE in other countries is so complicated and EVIL here. Everything about health care is out of the control of the people. “Here the government is afraid of the people, but there [America] the people are afraid of the government” (SiCKO). That is a great point to make; here American’s will complain about everything from A to Z but in the end do nothing about it. The Big Boys [Corporate America], have weakened us into thinking that there is no alternative to the AWOL, which is basically ‘get rich or die trying’, so moving to a system that has any affiliation with “advocating public or state ownership” (en.wikipedia.org), would be completely unacceptable. America thrives on draining its people of money, as opposed to some place like Canada that is more concerned with the wellbeing of its people. It depends on the person that is being asked the question. For instance, an elderly man said “America’s health care system is a 10 [out of 10] people come here to get the best care” that might be true but, if you’re poor and living in France and you were sick and needed some type of medicine or operation that for some reason only America offered you would be out of luck, so basically what the man on the street neglected to say was that ‘if you’re rich you can get top notch care in America’. Personally I think that we should move to a more Canadian or French model of health care.


What are the major problems with the U.S. health care system and society?

Health care, like I’ve said before, is not something that many people think about. I was completely unaware of how health care in the United States worked, or how health care in other countries worked either. Media shows us things about health care but it never tells us what is going on. They [media] make it seem as if the health care offered here is good and the only thing you should worry about is choosing the right ‘coverage’. “Remember, health insurance is supposed to protect you in case of a catastrophically expensive illness, not simply cover your routine costs as a generally healthy person” (consumerreports.org). Its’ like we are steered from wanting what is probably best for the people of this country, “As inefficient as our government seems to run as it is, -just look at the economy- does America really want the government given authority over something as necessary as our country’s health?”(letters2president.org). Its like beating around the bush forever, all we know is that we need ‘good coverage’ and apparently we don’t want the ‘unsteady’ government handling our health. Not everyone is covered and they in no way deserve this, America needs to change the way it does things. This health care system that we seem to be stuck in, is only helping the rich and killing the poor.


What does the U.S.'s lack of guaranteed universal health care and guaranteed vacation show about the "American Way of Life"?

This tells us that America cares about money, more than its people. America is a country run by rich white men who want to make more and more money. Although America may be the most powerful country in muscle it is the weakest in unity. But in a way, I think that it will be a rocky road to go down if we plan on trying to change it. It’s been like this since the very very slanted development of this ‘great’ nation. The rich always dominating things at the top and the poor doing the dirty work way at the bottom. America ignores everything and the people here have been trained in a way to not challenge authority because if you do the consequences seem like the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze’. If we were able to change how the people here felt about the government then maybe that would change a lot. As long as American’s think that authority doesn’t control everything then we can make a change, a much needed change.



Sources:

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/insurance/health-insurance/good-plans-vs-bad-plans/health-insurance-good-plans-bad-plans.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

http://www.letters2president.org/letters/8180-universal-health-care-good-or-bad

AWOL Class, Andy

Break Hw

When I talked to my mother about health care she responded saying very proudly that we are covered completely. She explained how the insurance company takes a portion of her paycheck every pay period. When something is wrong my mother encourages us to go to the emergency room or to get checked out. I would say that we have spent a decent amount of time in the emergency room. An incident happened a few years ago when I had to get several stitches and my brother has sickle cell. And so far we have never been denied treatment. As far as I know there hasn't been any trouble over who will pay bills it all seems to be taken care of already. For checkups we pay a small co-pay after the visit but besides that I'm not really sure of how payment happens. I have had many wonderful visits to very loving doctors where there was never a problem about pay.

When I watched SiCKO honestly I was amazed because I haven't been in a situation like that or situations close to that. I mean I knew that America isn't all that great but I didn't think that anything like that could happen. I never really gave much thought to the medical system until last week because I never really had to deal with it. Apparently when there are children on the medical plan they can be covered until they are 21 but if they are not in school they will only be covered until they are 18. They film did successfully show all the evil points in medicare but most likely it had to have some bias in it. But all in all my reaction was complete shock.

Brain Washing for Stu.. er I Mean Dirty Brains

Wow I thought that was a smooth move in Friday's class. Andy actually addressed the fact that he 'might' be brain washing us. Then he turned around and said that perhaps he wasn't. Don't you hate it when that happens, when someone says one thing then they turn around and say something that in a way contradicts what they just said. We all fell for that shit too. Come on seriously, any thoughts that we are having about AWOL or AWOB or AWOP are all because of Andy. Before September I highly doubt that we gave two shits about the Danish or taxes or the Constitution or Midwives. So yes, we have been brain washed... no wait. I wonder if he's proud that the sort of mindless bunch from September has magically transformed in to people who sort of care about the shitty components of America.

We should be happy that we have a completely narcissistic teacher.

Further in to Poverty

To sum it up, research suggests that poverty is going to get alot worse before it gets better. There are programs that help people to get back on their feet after capitalism pushed them down, but the greater majority have no idea about them. What's scary is the fact that rich white people are still getting more and more money. But since the value of the dollar is going down they have no idea what to do with the billions they are sitting on.

Thoughts on Musical Chairs Version 1 - Wow, first off i hate that game. But I never realized until now what a great mimic that game can be for poverty. The game starts off with their not being enough chairs for everybody, so automatically everyone is in fighting mode. When the music dies, it becomes 'dog eat dog' people jumping over people just to get a seat. But theirs always that pair of people who fight when there is an empty chair not 2 feet away. Its like you get so caught up in the fight you fail to notice the opportunity. Or is that what people what you to think? These rich white folk want you to fight so when you miss your chair you curse yourself..bullshit. As the game goes on there are less and less opportunities available and yet the fight continues. I think that all the people playing should come to a truce, agree to share 1/2 a chair. That way no one gets pushed off or hurt or left in the cold. But of course when you're in the game you don't think logically.

Thoughts on Musical Chairs Version 2 - Okay, this version was completely messed up. People already had their chairs assigned, but kept walking around when the music started up again. It makes me think rich people are fairly ditsy. At one point, in the game one of the 'chosen ones' kept stealing poor peopl chairs, which makes me think that rich people are greedy as well (true). Near the end a black peorson won the game which was either a coincidence or luck. I wonder why the jewish guy got all the chairs though... I noticed that no one wanted to share a damn thing, no one stuck it to the man and said "come over here, and share my 7 chairs". Its sad that even in a game we all have this state of mind where we can't share.

If we ever play this game again I suggests that we get together and share the wealth.

Q's on Poverty... very general q's might I add..

1. In what year was the poverty rate the higest and is there a trend?
-----> In 2003 the poverty rate had risen for the 3rd straight year, "the national poverty rate rose to 12.5 percent -- 35.9 million people -- last year, from 12.1 percent in 2002. Hit hardest were women, who for the first time since 1999 saw their earnings decline, and children. By the end of 2003, 12.9 million children lived in poverty."
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35175-2004Aug26.html

2. What are some of the concequences of the current recession?
----->There have been constant job loses and major pay cuts since the beginning of the recession last year. Stores have been closing down left and right and there have been massive sales on almost every corner, otherwise known as a desperate plea to stay in business.
Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/11/forecast_nj_job_losses_may_con.html

3. How has the vision of "poverty" been portrayed over time?
-----> To American people the word poverty brings to mind living in a small project home, or trailer park not being able to provide for the family or having 18 kids with no "baby daddy". But there is a much more complicated picture than people like to admit. American people tend to neglect that the poverty rate rises more and things like society and media greatly distort what is real.
Source: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/bg1713.cfm

4. What are some solutions to poverty?
-----> Some believe that the solution to poverty greatly depends on the government. Things like welfare are things that the people should be aware of, some believe that more people should be made aware of what is available to them. Also there is a theory that if some children had better resources and better schooling that that would steer many away from the invisible hand that forces some in to the "poverty cycle".
Source: http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2007/0426poverty_sawhill.aspx

5. Are there people making a stand against poverty?
-----> There have been numerous groups that are taking a stand against poverty, people who advocate people being left with nothing.
Source: http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/

Danish Response

The U.S Tax system is a completely involuntary system in which people are practically forced to give their hard earned dollars to the government. The government then uses this money for weapons or bailouts or something that the majority of American people are against. There are basically 3 'main brackets' of taxation: Progressive tax, Regressive tax and Flat tax. Progressive tax is when rich people pay a higher % of their income for taxes, Regressive tax is when poor people pay a higher % of their income to taxes and Flat tax is when we all pay the same % of our income to taxes. But of course flat tax is something that sounds a little hard to come by because no matter what everybody has different incomes and depending on what they buy the % they pay vs. the % someone else will pay will always be different.

The Danish tax system is very different, based on what the students told me when you go to the doctor you don't have to pay for that. But danish people pay a much higher percentage of their taxes that the U.S. There are numerous free benefits such as hospital visits and day care. Prices are much higher there as well, a 'plain car' as they called it would be at least $20,000 and anything better would be $80,000 and up. Also if you loose your job you are pretty much covered by unemployment and usually you can get 'relocated' pretty quickly for more work. Depending on what you make determines how much money you get for pension.

I think that it would be a rather good idea if U.S adapted a more socialist government. I like the feeling of everyone being close to 'equal'. The Danish tax System does sound alot better in my opinion except many things are alot higher over there than they are here. What I also liked was the fact that if you loose your job, you are pretty much covered. If that was the case in U.S it could go one or two ways. Either people would never go back to work since they would be covered or people would end up getting angry because they are working and people are just living off the fruits of their labor. I think that U.S should at least try it out because the way that society is going now is definitely not working.

AWOB Paper --Sorry for the delay

Intro

America, founded by its rich white men. Ever since then, women have been taken advantage of. Now something as simple and as personal as birth has become a topic of great argument. Doctors are people that we put a great deal of trust in everything to the flu to heart transplants. Doctors seem to think that now all of a sudden women need to have their kids in hospitals instead of home births. Women have been having kids for centuries; they should be able to have their kids where they want. Doctors are tainting the natural act of childbirth.

Argument 1 - Rising C-Section

Its 2009, it’s no secret that new technology is being developed everyday. Advances are constantly being made in music, movies, TV and in medicine. Everything else seems to be going so well for Apple and Toshiba so why not new medicine and ways of giving birth? Doctors are already so trusted among the sick and the pregnant; it seems so easy to push on to willing patients the new ways of technology. “In 2006, 31.1% of U.S. births were by C-section, a 50% increase over the previous decade” (Rubin 1). Women, when they arrive to the delivery room are sucked up into a whirl of emotions. So in comes the ‘trustworthy’ doctor pumping women full of drugs to the point where she and the baby can no longer take it and then they slide the woman in to the surgery room. Its quick and painless, so mothers think it’s the best thing since sliced bread. What they don’t know that they could be in more danger than they bargain for. These women don’t know that everyday a doctor is slicing a perfectly health woman open for no reason at all. Doctors just want to get in, get out and get that paycheck. So they elect these women for surgery that they do not need. They [women] don’t understand that doctors are taking away a wonderful experience. Doctors want to be in control so they push on the opportunity to try something new, quick and painless and at the same time they are robbing these women of a lifetime experience.

Doctors knowingly insist this major surgery on women. What is ridiculous is that they know what the risk is and these women probably do not. “Cesarean section is major surgery and increases the likelihood of many short- and longer-term adverse effects for mothers and babies” ("Childbirth Connection"). Women go in to the delivery room alone and they are sliced open sometimes ripped open and their babies are snatched out of them and are almost immediately taken away. C-sections cost money and the more people that do it the more money doctors earn. By doing this doctors rob women of their natural right to have children unaccompanied by machinery.

Argument 2 -- Slandering of Midwives and Homebirths

Midwifes, a term that for some women would cause a sigh of relief and for other women a groan of disgust. Doctors would side with the women who would sooner give themselves a C-section than dare to dream of a vaginal birth. Midwives have been known to advocate home births in a safer more comfortable environment. Doctors insist that homebirths do not need to be exercised in any way, shape or form. “…but ACOG does not support programs that advocate for, or individuals who provide, home births.” ("ACOG News Release"). Doctors seem to somehow only tilt the table in their favor. Hospitals aren’t as clean as doctors would want their patients to think. Hundreds of sickly people come through the hospital monthly. That doesn’t sound too sterile. As opposed to your home where you have undoubtedly been exposed to all of the germs there already. Doctors will jump through so many hoops just to get their tainted point across.

Homebirth scares doctors for 1 reason. If this started a trend hospitals and doctors would loose millions of dollars and patients. They put up arguments like ‘problems can arise’ or ‘private homes aren’t sterile’ as a cover from what they are all thinking:

“ACOG claims to be an advocate of women’s health and choice, but when it comes to the right to choose to deliver your baby in the privacy of your own home with a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) who is specifically trained to provide the safest care possible, ACOG’s paternalistic colors bleed through,” said Susan M. Jenkins, Legal Counsel for the Big Push for Midwives Campaign. “It is astonishing that an organization that purports to be a champion of women’s healthcare would put a petty turf battle that affects less than one percent of the nation’s childbearing women ahead of pressing issues that have an impact on nearly every woman in this country. If this is not dereliction of duty, I can’t imagine what is.” ("Tribe").

The only reason doctors would put so much energy into this argument is because of power and money. They would much rather turn a culture 100% into the technology age at any cost. Doctors don’t care that they are ruining something that was supposed to be sacred and beautiful just to make money.

Argument 3 -- Media influencing women

Media. Something that we are fed 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Pregnant stars that look like whales one day and 24 year olds the next. ‘Ordinary’ women read magazines or turn on the TV and see all these rich and beautiful women and they think one thing. ‘How can I be like them?” Stars no doubt have hospitals on speed dial. With plastic surgery, and tummy tucks and C-sections its hard for women who aren’t famous to want all those things as well. People see celebrities running to the hospital for all their pregnancies and it makes them want to do the same. Only some women recognize that not everyone can be like the stars “Okay, so go ahead and have a baby at 44. Only know that you are not going to come out looking like the stars.” (Lederman Mandell). If you are fed garbage about how stars get their bodies back in less than a week from having twins or something like that, most likely you’re going to want to run out and get the same thing done. Doctors smile upon that fact because they are reaping the rewards and not giving a damn about the consequences. Rubin, Rita. "Answers prove elusive as C-Section rate rises." (2008): 4.

Sources


"Cesarean Section." Childbirth Connection. 3 July 2008. Childbirth Connection. 22 Mar 2009 .

"ACOG News Release." ACOG Statement on Home Births. 6 Feb 2008. ACOG. 22 Mar 2009 .

"Glances into my Mind." Tribe. 2 Sept 2008. Tribe. 22 Mar 2009 .

Lederman Mandell, Sherri. "Babies for the Stars ." Whole Family. 11 Dec 2006. Whole Family . 22 Mar 2009 .

AWOB Paper, Start [Not Edited]

Money, or the concept of, is taking over everything, even the process of child birth. This is a billion dollar business and growing. Women are getting pregnant by the minute and they are running to the hospitals to have their babies. Doctors examine, and then pump you full of drugs then they cut you open, all before dinner. Women think that they are getting top notch care and support but all they are doing is throwing dollars in to the doctor’s crisp white pockets.

Let me see, all in all the film was pretty important for me in a way. I hadn't really put much thought in to the birthing process until this unit started. The file did show the importance of a natural birth and how it can be quite empowering to the females. The most important part of the film, if i had to choose one, would be the part where they showed what they used to do and in many ways still do in hospitals to pregnant women. Also I liked the part where they showed a few doctors who did in fact agree that midwives would be a better alternative to doctors in the hospital, It made me think that maybe they were just saying these things for filming purposes and not really saying what they truly thought. I think that all mothers to be should see this film or other like it because I know that there is some information that they do not know and it could drastically change their minds if they knew the truth about what hospitals do in order to "help the baby". I love how one woman on the film called it "a billion dollar industry". It sounds like if most people knew the truth, they in a way would feel betrayed by the doctors that they thought they could trust.

This video did in fact open my eyes to what childbirth is like. I always thought that it was a rather painful process and to be honest I wasn't leaning in that direction because of how horrible the thought of pain would be. I mean why go through pain if you don't have to? I love how the film showed the pain and then this wholesome feeling of joy that is to come if you just endure the pain. The purpose of the film was to 'show the truth' and to sway women to go with the natural way. But near the end the audience gets a twinge of reality when the righteous film maker had to get a c-section. I know she had to get it, but still.. maybe they should have cut that out (yes, pun intended). I don't think that only certain questions need to be answered concerning AWOB. All of them need to be answered. America needs to know that the "rate of c-sections in USA has increased 46% since 1996". But in reality it doesn't seem like people care that much. American women don't want to feel any pain and will as the "billion dollar industry" can see, pay through the nose to make sure that they don't.

When the guest speaker came in she sounded really positive and like the perspective of the file made it sound like midwifes are much better than hospitals and the natural way is much better for childbirth. "Almost 100% of women have been having birth by C-section" Kaitlyn said. As if to scare us, it seems like it's good to go to the doctor for sore throats, for eye problems, for ear problems, for radiation treatments, for answers, for drugs...the legal kind, for check ups... it seems people don't protest that; people don't question the amount of knowledge that doctors have for other bodily issues. But somehow when it comes to childbirth doctors all of a sudden have no place. Its all a bit confusing. When you have streptococcus pyogenes how would you like it if the doctor told you "just go home let it go away naturally" I bet most people would go crazy. But when you're pregnant all of a sudden its no place for a doctor. It's a bit wishy-washy...Americans are funny that way.

The film in my eyes was made to push you more towards the natural birth process. I think it was pretty laid out. Showing women in hospitals crying then jumping to women at home smiling, then back to foggy hospitals and nonchalant doctors then to people dancing to Ned Gerblansky's - Feel Like Makin' Love... Looked like the point was to persuade in a 'gentle' way and i think they got the message across.
The natural way could be considered the normal way. But since we are in America eveything has to have a double standard. The normal way would be the C-Section having your doctor cut into you and snatch your baby by the head from the womb. Sounds harsh but thats what they do. Now the natural way, is natural birth. Being in labor for 20+ hrs screaming every 5 minutes due to the contractions that you are having. No matter which way a woman decides to have the baby there are going to be doctors and bright lights shining down on you while you are in the center of a cold room. But then some say that " maybe the woman should have it at home" thats all well and good but some women want the cleaniness of the hospital and the assuranc of a certified doctor and not your husbad of wife standing there wiht a doula or midwife or both. If something goes wrong during the pregnancy does the doula or midwife know how to handle that? What ever floats your boat.

AWOB Outline Draft

Topics of Focus:

How Doctors milk women for their $
Unnessaary C-Section + "Miss Thank God We Were Here to Save Your Kid"
Midwives maybe the better solution
Not much has changed since then
Doctors being in control

Being for the Benifit of Mr. Kite...I Mean Mr. Snyder

I was just thinking about how much has changed since September. We all came in with our attitudes, we all had our own view about America and about society. There was actually cause for argument in this class. Now... because of some odd twist of events we all somehow agree with the topics or at least we appear to. In a course of 6 months we have figured out that out beloved law enforcement is not so beloved, that our doctors just milk us for our dollars, that the foundation of this country was completely sexist and racist, that capitalism = rich white people, we all in a sense live typical lives, having your kids the natural way might be much better and that "we the people" is basically for shit. Everything before we stepped into this class was known but not really thought about. Either we were completely oblivious or we are being brain washed by the second. Um.. the scale seems pretty balanced if these are the only two choices..

I think Andy just likes the fact we all of a sudden agree, it might be better for his ego.

Big Paper Draft + Birth Paragraph Draft Added (Bold) + Corruption of Kids by Cartoon Paragraph Added (Bold)

EQ 1: How does money directly connect to the AWOL and how do Americans easily let money dictate their lives?

EQ 2: How does money control and manipulate the AWOL?

Thesis: Money is able to easily manipulate Americans because of the frequent undertow given to them by society and media so often that it makes them unable to resist.

Intro

America, I don’t understand how this place has not devoured itself by all its greed and power hungry people in power. The American Way of Life has become so tiring and predictable over the years. What is really interesting is how commercial everything here is. They (media) still strive to make America seem so united and democratic and equal when it’s so far from. America in simplest terms is basically run by rich, greedy power hungry people who work the hell out of the poor people in this world. Honestly, America is run by money.

Individually, American’s have their own way of living, and they quite commonly think that they are so different from every other American, but that’s where they are wrong. In a way, we all have pretty typical lives. We go to school, we go home, we stuff our faces while watching senseless shows, we wake up and get educated some more, they eventually help the ever-loving flow of capitalism by working for the rich. So we all basically have the same lives with MAYBE one or two exceptions. It seems like all of America value’s the same things and that in a way makes us dismal.

General Overview

When interviewing Americans, one has to be almost insistent about it. We asked people in the street what they thought the AWOL (American Way of Life) was. It took most people by surprise because its not a very normal question to be asked by a swarm of teenagers. Some replied “Well, uh to go to school, get a job, get married and have some kids”. That’s the life of many many Americans (see what I mean…typical). We would nod and quickly blurt out “Do you think you live a typical AWOL?” The person would smile and say “No I think I live a little out of the ordinary”. We’d ask how and they would give some long explanation about how they got their job or how they lost their job. Something, that quite honestly sounded quite typical. Our last question was the one I desperately wanted answered “So, what do you think the most important aspect of AWOL is?” The expected answer was schooling or family, but that’s not what we got. “Money”. Almost every person we had interviewed said that money was the most important thing. It really shows how capitalism has really infected the lives of all American’s.

How much power do we really have here in America? I mean, everything is kind of already decided, we only get to vote once every 4 years, we have to work, we have to go to school and we have to pay taxes. That doesn’t sound like “we the people”. America is just a front to hide what really goes on in this commonly mistaken “great nation”. If the people don’t like who is in office, yea we can do something but that would be along rigorous process in which many people would probably give up. In order to make a stand here you need to be rich, in office or have a badge. Yes, our fellow police officers aren’t rich, they aren’t in office but that have those shiny things and a badge that make us listen to them. But the problem with people who have authority is that sooner or later they abuse their power. If a police officer on any given day decides that he wants to commit a crime just for the hell of it he can, and get away with it. Because honestly, who you gonna believe? The lovely cops that we have all been filtered to love or the beat up civilian. Exactly.

The constitution, the lovely foundation of out beautiful nation. I would bet that most people don’t know what the constitution really says. This document, on the surface gives the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches power. It balances and distributes the power of the government equally throughout all the branches. There is a delicate system that keeps each branch from gaining too much power. It is said that the constitution was written “in favor of the people”. But I would disagree. The foundation of this country was in the fate of a few rich white guys who probably all had slaves. That says a lot about our country, a bunch of old RICH white guys making the laws according to them and no one else.

It seemed for a long time that everything was about rich Caucasian people, well it still is but with a twist. Now that we have a black president everything is gonna change…right? Now why would anyone question this godsend? Well it’s been established that 99.9% of Americans hat bush and blame him for all this bad s**t. But Mr. Obama just happened to be working with Bush. Bush even helped to raise more money for Obama’s inauguration “President George W. Bush on Tuesday declared an emergency in the District of Columbia that will let the nation's capital tap deeper into federal coffers for Barack Obama's inauguration.”(pwtenny.newsvine.com). Hmm…Makes you wonder. So many people are so proud that now we have an African American representing America now. For a while I was under the haze of the man who is going to make history. But then I realized a whole lot of s**t. Obama is not 100% black. He’s only ½ Black and half White. But media or his many supporters don’t realize that, and if they do they always ignore it. It makes me feel like; yes even though his skin color is black he really isn’t fully black. Many people think that up until now we have evaded another white president but…not really. Obama is talking about feeding more money back into the economy, but they spend millions of dollars on his inauguration “Money Spent: $488,334,933” (projects.washingtonpost.com). When I mentioned it to my family they replied “Oh, we’ll get it back”. But will we?

Speaking of spending money, back to our economy. In the simplest terms capitalism is basically the business of making money and spending money. That’s all American’s are really good for. There is a simple website that very accurately depicts America (sad isn’t it?). EBAY! Yes this lovely website lets you buy and sell all the crap you could ever want or need in 3 lifetimes. The catch to buying is you have to bid on what you want and obviously if you want it you have to win. You and however many people also want what you want have to continually try to undercut each other until time is up. Sounds fun doesn’t it?. Well my ultimate source of income (mother) was not to pleased about the whole idea of bidding good money on useless junk, not only that but the small fact that you and another stranger are virtually fighting until the (cue in the dramatic voice) death. So we had a falling out, I explained that we had to do it for school but she wasn’t going for it. So I simulated an E-bay auction for myself and watched how people like vultures, virtually fought for ultimately useless crap. Wow, imagine corporate America.

Gobble gobble, Oh the start of the holidays. American’s eat it up…literally. This is the holiday where you and your family get together and stuff you faces. Its like heaven to America, no school, no work just food and TV. It’s sad that it’s just another way to make money. People rush to the deli and the supermarket to buy shopping carts full of food. They spend hundreds of dollars flying in family members and they spend money renting movies to watch when the family arrives and let’s not forget that con Edison bill that gets run up from all the lights being on and all the TVs in every room on day and night. And what’s genius about Thanksgiving is that Corporate America is making money and the poor workers aren’t. Because the rich capitalists don’t spend time with family they keep their fat asses in their leather chairs making sure the stock market doesn’t crash. They make their money from the poor people spending quality time and not to mention quality cash on family time, the plot is evil but oh-so genius.

Ho-Ho-Ho Merry Cashmas...Wait that’s not right. To the rich capitalists it is. Let’s see, Jonas Brothers Cd: $13, Obama T-shirt: $7.50, The feeling the rich capitalists get from the constant cash flow all through December: Priceless. This holiday is for spending money. I mean the kids want toys and really that puts parents between a rock and a hard place. The sweet look on a child’s face is adorable on X-mas morning is adorable, I wonder about the sweet look on the faces of the members of the board for Toys R Us when they make millions of dollars for an entire month. No one realizes this but we spend all this money on stuff that we won’t use and we only make ourselves poorer in the process! Does no one get this? They probably do but its just out way of life . I wonder how we all complain about how the richand we wont apologize for it get richer and the poor get much poorer when in reality by spending our money we are only helping them. Every single holiday is made to spend money:

 Valentines Day – Lovers spend big bucks on chocolates and roses
Easter – Peeps, Chocolate covered eggs not to mention the $15 egg coloring kit
 Thanksgiving – More money for food!
Christmas – More money on gifts
 New Years – More money spent at bars and useless 20.. glasses and hats
 Halloween – More money spent on costumes
4th of July – More money spent on Fire crackers (whoop)
Black Friday – Cheap crap for only a few hours.
 And lets not forget B-days – The Amt of $ you spend depends on your age
Lets not forget, Baby making...doctors makes a killing off of these fresh new borns

It may be that American’s don’t know how not to spend money. Take Buy Nothing Day for example. What the hell is that? I had never heard of such a day in my life until I was shown a short video of people promoting the idea of not buying anything on Black Friday instead of buying of everything. I completely understand what they mean by saving your money and I understand where they are coming from. But still I couldn't resist a sale. People get crazy when money is involved and even crazier when there is a chance to save money. There was a guy who got killed on this day, trampled by a crowd of people trying to make it into the store before all the good useless crap was taken by other crazy sleep deprived money saving people.


You know what’s sad? The fact that even little kids are being conditioned to spend money and desire it. Most American’s are familiar with the show Sponge Bob. It’s a show about a sponge that lives in a fictional underwater town called Bikini Bottom. Sponge Bob works at a fast food restaurant for a money hungry boss named Mr. Krabs; “Mr. Krabs is Sponge Bob’s boss and the owner of The Krusty Krab. Making money is what it's all about for Mr. Krabs…Mr. Krabs likes that he's [Sponge Bob] willing to work long hours for little pay”(www.nick.com). Sounds like a typical American life right there, and this is just a cartoon. Well kids eat this show up, they can sit in front of TV for hours laughing at the quirky sense of humors these characters have. But what they don’t realize is that in a way this is conditioning them for the near future. Working long hours in a job that you can hate or learn to love for a boss you sometimes can envision yourself killing.

Money, or the concept of, is taking over everything, even the process of child birth. This is a billion dollar business and growing. Women are getting pregnant by the minute and they are running to the hospitals to have their babies. Doctors examine, and then pump you full of drugs then they cut you open, all before dinner. Women think that they are getting top notch care and support but all they are doing is throwing dollars in to the doctor’s crisp white pockets.

Marx! The guy who was completely against capitalism. He was all for a socialist society and believed that the workers should have more benefits than the non-workers. Capitalism to him was evil and was not needed. He realized that without workers, ultimately Capitalism would fall. Workers out number bosses and all workers hate the idea of making some rich white guy more money than he needs but no one will do anything about it…Yet (End Scene—Cue Inspirational scenery and music) And –Cut!


Sources:


http://pwtenny.newsvine.com/_news/2009/01/14/2309376-bush-declares-emergency-for-inauguration?threadId=469848

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/finance/candidates/barack-obama/

http://library.thinkquest.org/18802/usholi.htm

http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/characters.jhtml?show_id=spo&character=Mr.%20Krabs

The Business of Being Born eh..Thoughts

Let me see, all in all the film was pretty important for me in a way. I hadn't really put much thought in to the birthing process until this unit started. The file did show the importance of a natural birth and how it can be quite empowering to the females. The most important part of the film, if i had to choose one, would be the part where they showed what they used to do and in many ways still do in hospitals to pregnant women. Also I liked the part where they showed a few doctors who did in fact agree that midwives would be a better alternative to doctors in the hospital, It made me think that maybe they were just saying these things for filming purposes and not really saying what they truly thought. I think that all mothers to be should see this film or other like it because I know that there is some information that they do not know and it could drastically change their minds if they knew the truth about what hospitals do in order to "help the baby". I love how one woman on the film called it "a billion dollar industry". It sounds like if most people knew the truth, they in a way would feel betrayed by the doctors that they thought they could trust.

This video did in fact open my eyes to what childbirth is like. I always thought that it was a rather painful process and to be honest I wasn't leaning in that direction because of how horrible the thought of pain would be. I mean why go through pain if you don't have to? I love how the film showed the pain and then this wholesome feeling of joy that is to come if you just endure the pain. The purpose of the film was to 'show the truth' and to sway women to go with the natural way. But near the end the audience gets a twinge of reality when the righteous film maker had to get a c-section. I know she had to get it, but still.. maybe they should have cut that out (yes, pun intended). I don't think that only certain questions need to be answered concerning AWOB. All of them need to be answered. America needs to know that the "rate of c-sections in USA has increased 46% since 1996". But in reality it doesn't seem like people care that much. American women don't want to feel any pain and will as the "billion dollar industry" can see, pay through the nose to make sure that they don't.

When the guest speaker came in she sounded really positive and like the perspective of the file made it sound like midwifes are much better than hospitals and the natural way is much better for childbirth. "Almost 100% of women have been having birth by C-section" Kaitlyn said. As if to scare us, it seems like it's good to go to the doctor for sore throats, for eye problems, for ear problems, for radiation treatments, for answers, for drugs...the legal kind, for check ups... it seems people don't protest that; people don't question the amount of knowledge that doctors have for other bodily issues. But somehow when it comes to childbirth doctors all of a sudden have no place. Its all a bit confusing. When you have streptococcus pyogenes how would you like it if the doctor told you "just go home let it go away naturally" I bet most people would go crazy. But when you're pregnant all of a sudden its no place for a doctor. It's a bit wishy-washy...Americans are funny that way.

The film in my eyes was made to push you more towards the natural birth process. I think it was pretty laid out. Showing women in hospitals crying then jumping to women at home smiling, then back to foggy hospitals and nonchalant doctors then to people dancing to Ned Gerblansky's - Feel Like Makin' Love... Looked like the point was to persuade in a 'gentle' way and i think they got the message across.

Problem with my Blogger Account

I had to reset my account for some reason which is why the posts didn't show up and I had to re-post everything tonight. Google sent me the e-mail below, after i reset my account i just reposted everything today/


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Reaction to Discussion on Fri 13th

The natural way could be considered the normal way. But since we are in America eveything has to have a double standard. The normal way would be the C-Section having your doctor cut into you and snatch your baby by the head from the womb. Sounds harsh but thats what they do. Now the natural way, is natural birth. Being in labor for 20+ hrs screaming every 5 minutes due to the contractions that you are having. No matter which way a woman decides to have the baby there are going to be doctors and bright lights shining down on you while you are in the center of a cold room. But then some say that " maybe the woman should have it at home" thats all well and good but some women want the cleaniness of the hospital and the assuranc of a certified doctor and not your husbad of wife standing there wiht a doula or midwife or both. If something goes wrong during the pregnancy does the doula or midwife know how to handle that? What ever floats your boat.

Reaction to Clips [Edit]

When I went back to refresh my memory of all of the videos, the natural birth video did not show up. These videos probably don't mean to but they in a way influence the viewer to have bias thoughts about C-Section. Yes by the looks of the video the C-Section does look horrible and painful and somewhat forced. I would believe that there can be some benefits to having a baby by C-Section. The clips of the animals showed that it looked painless. Which in my view would make people want to be in the favor of natural births but then again these are animals and you can't be completly sure of what they feel or how different it is for them. In the end we can all argue about which method is better or healthy but in the end it comes down to the mother...and the manipulating doctor.

Reaction to Clips

Wow and eww were the only two words running through my mind when i was watching the videos. I watched the Dolfin give birth first, it seemed calm the mother just swam around in circles waiting for the baby to come out. What I thought was interesting about that one was that there were hundres of people watching the dolphin give birth. I wondered if that affects the mother of the child in any way because it it a drastic change from their natutal habitat. Then I watched the giraffe give bith and it seemed to be very similar to the way that dolfins give birth. Very calm and docile. The mother stays with the baby, caring for it and nurturing it until it was able to walk on its own. Then I watched the C-section video...gross. It looked so horrible. The doctor to the right looked like he was pulling the baby out by the head. It was terrible. All I could think about was the mother and how awful she must have felt. I wonder if she knew what they were doing and if she didn't know i wonder if anyone would tell her. It makes you want a natural birth..

Answers to Selected Questions from Selected Groups

Questions on How people get pregnant, birth control, abortion and adoption:

Q- How available is birth control to people of all ages?
A- "There is no legal age you can begin taking birth control when you begin your period you can start because that is the time you can start to have babies. Keep in mind, though, that while there may not be legal prohibitions on birth control in young women, there are mental and physical health risks to birth control methods and to early sexual activity. Talk to your doctor, parents, or other trusted adult."
(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_legal_age_to_start_taking_birth_control)

Q- What percentage of pregnant women had abortions?
A- "Summary: It is estimated here that, as of 2008, about 28% of U.S. women ages 15-64 have had abortions. This figure has risen from 2.8% in 1973 to 11% in 1980, 19% in 1987, 24% in 1994, and 27% in 2001. In 2008, of women ages 40-55, about 40% have had abortions in their lifetimes.From 1967 to September 2008, approximately 50,200,000 abortions occurred in the United States; of these, about 30,260,000 or 60% were to women with no prior abortions [1,2]. In other words, 30,260,000 different women had one or more abortions from 1967 to the present in the U.S.Given that there were 101,314,000 women ages 15-64 in the U.S. in 2007, this implies about 25-28% of women ages 15-64 in the U.S. today have had at least one abortion in their lifetime."
(http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/uslifetimeab.html)

Q- What is the average age of pregnancy?
A- "Over the last three decades, women have been waiting longer to become moms. In 1970, the average age for a first-time mother was about 21. In 2005, the average age of first-time moms was 25.2 years."
(http://www.babycenter.com/0_17-surprising-facts-about-birth-in-the-united-states_1372273.bc)

Questions on Professionalism & Techniques/Technicalities of Birthing Process

Q- What complications can arise from pregnancy/labor?
A- "Low Birth Weight- Caused by poor nutrition and substance abuse,Gestational Diabetes- Can happen during pregnancy when the woman's body isn't making enough insulin,Preterm Labor- When the mother's body is trying to deliver the baby before she has reached full-term (37 weeks) ,Group B Strep- Group B Strep is the leading cause of infections in newborns. Not group A strep (strep throat),Rh Negative Disease- Rh factor is determined by the presence of a protein surrounding red blood cells. Without the protein, a woman is considered Rh negative, Ectopic Pregnancy - # Ectopic pregnancies can be caused by an STD, such as chlamydia, or an infection, such as pelvic inflammatory disease. Women who have undergone sterilization procedures or have been diagnosed with endometriosis or other female reproductive disorders are also at risk. If the fallopian tube is getting tighter, or more narrow, the egg is fertilized outside the uterus, and in the tube, thus the name: 'Tubal pregnancy.'."
(http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/commoncomplications.html)

Q- How much do doctors (gynocoligists) get paid per birth?
A- "Obstetrics-Gynecology $350,455" it didn't say how much they get per birth it only recorded a ballpark figure.
http://mmdoe.blogspot.com/2005/10/how-much-do-doctors-get-paid.html

Q- Can a doctor force you to get an abortion if your baby will be disabled?
A- "Legally, no one can force you to have an abortion" Doctors can influence you greatly to make this choice but thats about it.
http://yorkpregnancy.accountsupport.com/choices.php

Q-What percentage of woman develop gestational diabetes?
A- "Almost 9 percent of women in the US have diabetes, but about one third of them do not know it. Women with diabetes have an increased risk of pregnancy complications. In addition, 2 to 3 percent of women develop diabetes during pregnancy, called gestational diabetes."
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/peds_hrpregnant/gesdia.cfm

Ways of Giving Birth Questions

Q- What percent choose to take drugs during pregnancy?
A- "The survey found that an estimated 113,000 white women,75,000 African-American women, and 28,000 Hispanic women used illicit drugs during pregnancy." Im not sure if this is what the question meant but this is what google gave me.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol10N1/NIDASurvey.html

Q- Where do they give birth squated?
A- "some of the indigenous people in Central and South America have a tradition of giving birth standing up or sitting."
http://www.daddytypes.com/2008/07/14/true_story_they_give_birth_standing_up_in_panama_peru.php

Q- what is the percent of women that give birth at home?
A- "In the period 2005–2008, 29 percent of deliveries in the Netherlands occurred at home, as against 35 percent in the period 1997–2000."
http://www.cbs.nl/en-GB/menu/themas/gezondheid-welzijn/publicaties/artikelen/archief/2009/2009-2696-wm.htm?WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublishedmethodenmethodenmethodencijferspublicatiescijferscijferspublicaties

Q-What is the most common method of bith?
A-"Doctors and midwives should recommend natural child birth as part of an NHS drive to reduce the number of births using epidurals and caesarean sections, according to the Government’s health watchdog."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/yourview/1564248/What-is-the-best-way-to-give-birth.html

Q-What percentage of C- sections are elective?
A-"About 36 percent of women were delivered prior to 39 weeks, electively by Caesarean,"
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_73577.html

Birth Stories

Mother A, had gotten pregnant at the ripe-old age of 25. It was sort of expected but not completly. It was early spring when she began having her contractions. She complained to me during the questioning how she had gotten an ear infection just days before she was due. Mother A called her mother (Grandma A) and told her that she needed to go to the doctor. Grandma A came over to get Mother A and accompinied her to the doctors office. Then the Evil Doctors told Mother A that she needed top stay in the hospital so that she can be monitored. She complanied about all the weight she had gained and how her face had gotten fat. Her Husband, Father A was at work when Mother A had found out that she was almost ready to give birth. "Father A was so convinced that the baby was going to be a boy" she told me. Baby A had come early, about 2 weeks early. She told me she always knew it was a girl and never doubted for a moment. Mother A had gotten an Epidoral and could not get up or eat. "It was so boring!" she said. Mother A was hooked up to several monitors, the Evil Doctors would come in and check on her frequently. Father A had gotten to the hospital by now and sat with Mother A for 20 hours. The next day, Friday apx 9:00am Father A had gotten up to stretch his legs. "The moment he left, the doctors came rushing in telling me that Baby A heart rate was lowering" They rushed her in to the delivery room. "The room was cold and dark and had blaring lights to the 200th power and it was about 0 below and all i had on was a thin gown" Sucks I thought.


Group Members: Me,Amanda,Margaux,Aja,Kati

Questions for Comparing Birth...

1. Are there any rituals other countries use during,after or before birth, are they similar or different to American "rituals"?

2. Is there really an "exact way" to have babies in America?--Does it vary depending on social class or race?

3. How often does the AWOB change? ex(C-Section, Midwife)

4. Is aboriton frowned upon in other countries or accepted/tolerated similar to how it is in America?

5. How many people adopt in America ns. Europe,China,Russia,Africa...?

6. Does media play large roles in birth in other countries as much as it does in America? ex( Brad and Angelina)

7. How does age play a part in birth? ex( young vs. old)

8. How does the way people view pregnant women change depending on age,marital status...?

9. How has medicine improved since the 1900's and 2000's?

10. Do cultures prefer genders? Do they try and control this?

11. Does the AWOB compare or contrast to other methods?

12. What aspects of birth in America, if any, have been adopted from other cultures?

13. What percentage of women opt to have C-Sections over Natural Birth per year?

*14. Do you think that "Scheduled C-Sections" is just another way to control pregnant women or is it really out of care for the baby?

15.What percentage of women opt to have fancy sh-mancy birth test? Is this available elsewhere in the world?

Paragraph on Birth

Right now I don't like the idea of birth. Frankly I think its rather nasty at this age. The having the baby part seems painful but then again "Its not gonna hurt forever" thats what my mom always says. The thing that scares me is the after part. Once you have walked around wih this kid for nine months and then 20+ hrs of labor and then you get it out of you...then what? At this afe teen pregancy isn't so un-heard of. But taking care of it and providing for it is the part that scares me the most. I mean yeah I want to have a family and all but it seems like it only takes away from the woman..physically. And at 16 its just not for me.

Random Rant

This past weekend my uncle came over to my house, the family spent some quality time eating burgers and fries. And you'll never guess what happened then, somehow in this screwed up universe President Obama was yet again brought up. I know that the guy has made history and all that good stuff but he's everywhere it seems that a day can't go by without hearing his name..

But anyway.. My mother starts talking about how she is so proud that we (our people) has finally seemed to rise above to such a high standing in power. I mean i see where she is coming from but, i don't see why people ignore the Caucasian side of him. He is not by any means just black he is also whit. But if you wanna get technical he's not even African American, his heritage is traced back to Kenya! The media has seemed to completely overlook this and phase it out and so conveniently managed to slide in the term "African American". I wonder why he never corrects them.. maybe he wants other black people to feel like we finally matter..

I saw this calender that highlights the great leaps in African American history. Martin Luther King Jr, Obama, Harriet Tubman... I looked through all 12 months and I noticed that one vital African American was missing. Malcolm X. It confused me for a bit, I had to ask myself why they left him out.. Then it hit me, Obama face was plastered on the cover of the calendar along side Martin Luther King's and one word came to mind: Peace. Uh huh, Why in the world would anyone want to put a picture of Malcolm X next to the godly saint Obama? We wouldn't want to mess up his lovely image now would we?

Big Paper

America, I don’t understand how this place hasn’t devoured itself by all its greed and power hungry people in power. The American Way of Life has become so tiring and predictable over the years. What is really interesting is how commercial everything here is. They (media) still strive to make America seem so united and democratic and equal when it’s so far from. America in simplest terms is basically run by rich, greedy power hungry people who work the hell out of the poor people in this world. Honestly, America is run by money.

Individually, American’s have their own way of living, and they quite commonly think that they are so different from every other American, but that’s where they are wrong. In a way, we all have pretty typical lives. We go to school, we go home, we stuff our faces while watching senseless shows, we wake up and get educated some more, they eventually help the ever-loving flow of capitalism by working for the rich. So we all basically have the same lives with MAYBE one or two exceptions. It seems like all of America value’s the same things and that in a way makes us dismal.

When interviewing Americans, one has to be almost insistent about it. We asked people in the street what they thought the AWOL (American Way of Life) was. It took most people by surprise because its not a very normal question to be asked by a swarm of teenagers. Some replied “Well, uh to go to school, get a job, get married and have some kids”. That’s the life of many many Americans (see what I mean…typical). We would nod and quickly blurt out “Do you think you live a typical AWOL?” The person would smile and say “No I think I live a little out of the ordinary”. We’d ask how and they would give some long explanation about how they got their job or how they lost their job. Something, that quite honestly sounded quite typical. Our last question was the one I desperately wanted answered “So, what do you think the most important aspect of AWOL is?” The expected answer was schooling or family, but that’s not what we got. “Money”. Almost every person we had interviewed said that money was the most important thing. It really shows how capitalism has really infected the lives of all American’s.

How much power do we really have here in America? I mean, everything is kind of already decided, we only get to vote once every 4 years, we have to work, we have to go to school and we have to pay taxes. That doesn’t sound like “we the people”. America is just a front to hide what really goes on in this commonly mistaken “great nation”. If the people don’t like who is in office, yea we can do something but that would be along rigorous process in which many people would probably give up. In order to make a stand here you need to be rich, in office or have a badge. Yes, our fellow police officers aren’t rich, they aren’t in office but that have those shiny things and a badge that make us listen to them. But the problem with people who have authority is that sooner or later they abuse their power. If a police officer on any given day decides that he wants to commit a crime just for the hell of it he can, and get away with it. Because honestly, who you gonna believe? The lovely cops that we have all been filtered to love or the beat up civilian. Exactly.

The constitution, the lovely foundation of out beautiful nation. I would bet that most people don’t know what the constitution really says. This document, on the surface gives the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches power. It balances and distributes the power of the government equally throughout all the branches. There is a delicate system that keeps each branch from gaining too much power. It is said that the constitution was written “in favor of the people”. But I would disagree. The foundation of this country was in the fate of a few rich white guys who probably all had slaves. That says a lot about our country, a bunch of old RICH white guys making the laws according to them and no one else.

It seemed for a long time that everything was about rich Caucasian people, well it still is but with a twist. Now that we have a black president everything is gonna change…right? Now why would anyone question this godsend? Well it’s been established that 99.9% of Americans hat bush and blame him for all this bad s**t. But Mr. Obama just happened to be working with Bush. Bush even helped to raise more money for Obama’s inauguration “President George W. Bush on Tuesday declared an emergency in the District of Columbia that will let the nation's capital tap deeper into federal coffers for Barack Obama's inauguration.”(pwtenny.newsvine.com). Hmm…Makes you wonder. So many people are so proud that now we have an African American representing America now. For a while I was under the haze of the man who is going to make history. But then I realized a whole lot of s**t. Obama is not 100% black. He’s only ½ Black and half White. But media or his many supporters don’t realize that, and if they do they always ignore it. It makes me feel like; yes even though his skin color is black he really isn’t fully black. Many people think that up until now we have evaded another white president but…not really. Obama is talking about feeding more money back into the economy, but they spend millions of dollars on his inauguration “Money Spent: $488,334,933” (projects.washingtonpost.com). When I mentioned it to my family they replied “Oh, we’ll get it back”. But will we?

Speaking of spending money, back to our economy. In the simplest terms capitalism is basically the business of making money and spending money. That’s all American’s are really good for. There is a simple website that very accurately depicts America (sad isn’t it?). EBAY! Yes this lovely website lets you buy and sell all the crap you could ever want or need in 3 lifetimes. The catch to buying is you have to bid on what you want and obviously if you want it you have to win. You and however many people also want what you want have to continually try to undercut each other until time is up. Sounds fun doesn’t it?. Well my ultimate source of income (mother) was not to pleased about the whole idea of bidding good money on useless junk, not only that but the small fact that you and another stranger are virtually fighting until the (cue in the dramatic voice) death. So we had a falling out, I explained that we had to do it for school but she wasn’t going for it. So I simulated an E-bay auction for myself and watched how people like vultures, virtually fought for ultimately useless crap. Wow, imagine corporate America.

Gobble gobble, Oh the start of the holidays. American’s eat it up…literally. This is the holiday where you and your family get together and stuff you faces. Its like heaven to America, no school, no work just food and TV. It’s sad that it’s just another way to make money. People rush to the deli and the supermarket to buy shopping carts full of food. They spend hundreds of dollars flying in family members and they spend money renting movies to watch when the family arrives and let’s not forget that con Edison bill that gets run up from all the lights being on and all the TVs in every room on day and night. And what’s genius about Thanksgiving is that Corporate America is making money and the poor workers aren’t. Because the rich capitalists don’t spend time with family they keep their fat asses in their leather chairs making sure the stock market doesn’t crash. They make their money from the poor people spending quality time and not to mention quality cash on family time, the plot is evil but oh-so genius.

Ho-Ho-Ho Merry Cashmas...Wait that’s not right. To the rich capitalists it is. Let’s see, Jonas Brothers Cd: $13, Obama T-shirt: $7.50, The feeling the rich capitalists get from the constant cash flow all through December: Priceless. This holiday is for spending money. I mean the kids want toys and really that puts parents between a rock and a hard place. The sweet look on a child’s face is adorable on X-mas morning is adorable, I wonder about the sweet look on the faces of the members of the board for Toys R Us when they make millions of dollars for an entire month. No one realizes this but we spend all this money on stuff that we won’t use and we only make ourselves poorer in the process! Does no one get this? They probably do but its just out way of life and we wont apologize for it . I wonder how we all complain about how the rich get richer and the poor get much poorer when in reality by spending our money we are only helping them. Every single holiday is made to spend money:

 Valentines Day – Lovers spend big bucks on chocolates and roses
 Easter – Peeps, Chocolate covered eggs not to mention the $15 egg coloring kit
 Thanksgiving – More money for food!
 Christmas – More money on gifts
 New Years – More money spent at bars and useless 20.. glasses and hats
 Halloween – More money spent on costumes
 4th of July – More money spent on Fire crackers (whoop)
 Black Friday – Cheap crap for only a few hours.
 And lets not forget B-days – The Amt of $ you spend depends on your age

It may be that American’s don’t know how not to spend money. Take Buy Nothing Day for example. What the hell is that? I had never heard of such a day in my life until I was shown a short video of people promoting the idea of not buying anything on Black Friday instead of buying of everything. I completely understand what they mean by saving your money and I understand where they are coming from. But still I couldn’t resist a sale. People get crazy when money is involved and even crazier when there is a chance to save money. There was a guy who got killed on this day, trampled by a crowd of people trying to make it into the store before all the good useless crap was taken by other crazy sleep deprived money saving people.

Marx! The guy who was completely against capitalism. He was all for a socialist society and believed that the workers should have more benefits than the non-workers. Capitalism to him was evil and was not needed. He realized that without workers, ultimately Capitalism would fall. Workers out number bosses and all workers hate the idea of making some rich white guy more money than he needs but no one will do anything about it…Yet (End Scene—Cue Inspirational scenery and music) And –Cut!



Sources:


http://pwtenny.newsvine.com/_news/2009/01/14/2309376-bush-declares-emergency-for-inauguration?threadId=469848

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/finance/candidates/barack-obama/

http://library.thinkquest.org/18802/usholi.htm