James Baldwin

"Sticks and stone my break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is the anthem of children. A protection, a mantra against the ones against them. Taught by teachers trying to prepare those children for not only one or two phrases, but instead a world that does not just say words but instead carves them into our cerebral cortex. Piercing away at ourselves and who we say we are. But while that is all good and noble where is the "You have broken bones so you say words to hurt me" speech? When is it ok to say that the responsibility should not be on the victim? I misspoke those children are not victims, only casualties of an internal war that does not involve them. So do we just give aid to the veterans and ignore their cries of PTSD or do we ask who is the real enemy that caused it in the first place? Is there any way to say to these conditioned children that "The fight exists and you were in the middle of it" without them assigning themselves responsibility? Those who throw words got them from someone else. No one knows how to hurt, it is learned. So how do we stop the process of gaining those weighted words. Maybe it's when we say "Sticks and stones may break my soul, but words will damage the soul". It's when we offer those stones and throw them into the river.
-Yandely A.  

Interpretive and Evaluative Questions - 9/16/15

Jasneel Chaddha

9/16/15

WRI-UF 101.023

Prof. Mitchell Jackson

Interpretive and Evaluative Questions

“Generation Why?”

Interpretive:

1.)      According to Smith’s article, what seems to be the fundamental difference between “People 1.0” and “People 2.0”?

2.)      Why does Smith believe that The Social Network does a poor job of depicting Mark Zuckerberg, or “nerds” in general?

3.)      Smith states a quote from The Social Network: “We lived on farms, then we lived in cities and now we’re gonna live on the internet.” What does this mean?

Evaluative:

1.)      Smith expresses that “we have different ideas about things. Specifically, we have different ideas about what a person is, or should be.” Does social media, like Facebook, cause us to make judgments about peopl? Are these judgments inaccurate or misguided, and do they often lead to discrimination?

2.)      According to Smith, “when a human being becomes a set of data on a website like Facebook, he or she is reduced. Everything shrinks. Individual character. Friendships. Language. Sensibility.” Is social media, or the internet as a whole, causing us to lose our sense of self worth and dignity? Does it contribute to constant self-consciousness?

3.)      Smith states that Facebook does not help to stay in touch with others; if we truly cared about others and wanted to see them or stay in touch, we would find better ways. She says that “what we actually want to do is the bare minimum.” How does this relate to the growing notion that the generation of New Millennials are extremely self-centered?  

Interpretive and Evaluative Questions - 9/14/15

Jasneel Chaddha

9/14/15

WRI-UF 101.023

Prof. Mitchell Jackson

Interpretive and Evaluative Questions

“Popular Culture: What Everyone Needs to Know”

Interpretive:

1.)      From how it is described in the article, why is “popular culture” synonymous with “media culture”?

2.)      What does Nelson mean when she says that personal “popular culture produces bonds that forge the sense of community and serve as the cornerstones for the identities of individual participants”?

3.)      How does popular culture manipulate the beliefs and values held by people?

Evaluative:

1.)      Nelson argues that opportunity for leisure and pleasure often defines involvement in popular culture activities. How does this relate to the growing problem of obesity in America? Is popular culture the reason for the rise of an unhealthy generation?

2.)      Nelson states that “popular culture seeks to reach into our bodies, our minds, and our spirits to tell stories of good and evil.” How does this relate to rising consumerism and materialism in America? Is popular culture doing more evil than good?

3.)      Nelson asserts that influential popular culture, such as national and national-global popular culture, is highly profit-driven and therefore stratifies its audience in terms of social class. How has popular culture influenced our outlook on those living in poverty? To what extent, if any, has popular culture caused the poor to get poorer?

“Gen (Fill in the Blank): Coming of Age, Seeking An Identity”

Interpretive:

1.)      From Hochschild’s descriptions, what is the definition of a generation?

2.)      What does Hochschild mean she says that Gen X’ers “feel luckier than previous generations because they enjoy many more options”? Does this mean that there is more freedom?

3.)      What does Hochschild imply when says “we’re supposed to take care of ourselves. That's our only choice”?

Evaluative:

1.)      Mannheim describes a generation as “a cohort of people who feel the impact of a powerful historical event and develop a shared consciousness about it.” Which historical event would best define our generation, the New Millennials?  

2.)      Hochschild sees newer generations being defined by what its members buy rather than by what they do or who they are. How does this relate to the growing “Me” religion? Does this define our generation, the New Millennials?

3.)      Mr. de Lissovoy states that the negative aspects of newer generations include disposability, hyper speed, and consumption. He further states that more face-to-face interaction and a leisurely pace of life are necessary to sustain these newer generations. What impact did the technological revolution of the 1990’s and 2000’s have on these newer generations? Did this revolution truly make life easier, or more complicated?  

"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes"

Maybe in passing someone in the universe who isn't relevant right now will be brought up in passing. Maybe a conversation will be spoken by someone. You know what I really can't make this deep. It would really sound pretentious and artsy, but artsy in the bad way. In the way that people mention with disgust. It's always a replica of the same type of person. They guy with a guitar at a party. The girl with  glasses and paint splattered jeans which she refuses to wash. Because all it takes is one rinse cycle with Tide and warm water to get acrylic paint off fabric. Maybe those are the people who are intentionally grabbing those 15 minutes. They know it. They know we know. Except they take pride in it. They want to be the next Warhol, Banksy, or da Vinci, so fake it until you make it. And everybody is faking something, if we were all honest we really wouldn't have friends or a career left. Honesty can be dangerous. So maybe we portray an image that isn't accurate, not always to the artsy extreme but enough to get by. That's why we have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To scream "I want my 15 minutes" casually. It's a declaration of being here, ready to be noticed.  And it works. I noticed the artsy kid, but I also noticed the guy with a dog on his Facebook account. I noticed them and this exercise is at least 10 minutes long so maybe I'll notice them for 5 minutes more.

-Yandely 

"Sometimes a start is all we ever get" - Kai

The start, well New York is definitely that start. Weird as shit without a doubt, I mean coming from my small town I honestly don’t know what to make of this. Yeah I love this place, from the grit to the glam, from the kebab stand to the expensive steak house, New York seems to have the best of both worlds. But it is missing something: its missing my world at home. Whenever I talk to my parents, its always about the same thing “how's it going in the big apple” and “did you meet any nice jewish girls there?” While I tell them that it's going great, and it is going great, sometimes I don’t know if I'm being completely truthful. I'm happy and i've made great friends but sometimes I do feel lonely and it feels as if the only thing that I have going into this new life and scenery is a start. I'm coming in without any close friends or family or any knowledge of really where I am or what I want to be doing right now. It feels as if I was thrown into a place and given the most minimal amount of tools and told “you got this.” And yes some days are better than others, some days I feel as if I do “got this”, but other days it feels like an odd mixture between, excitement, confusion, and the feeling of “not having this”. Because I'm a first generation college student my parents don’t really know how to help me in this situation. Yes they give the typical advice of, “just be yourself and work hard and everything will be fine”, but that isn’t enough. From my short 10 days at college i've come to the realization that it's so much more than simply doing your best, its about figuring yourself out and getting comfortable with your surroundings: and I'm not exactly sure where I stand in that case. Yes I have somewhat of an idea of who I am and yes I am comfortable here, just some days I don’t know how to feel. Not saying that I don't love NYU or NYC, which I do completely and that is why I chose to go here, its just a difficult transition. As times gone by I have been feeling more comfortable and used to my area, the classes, the city, etc. it's just one of those things that I won't be one hundred percent ok with until I really understand myself. Now I don’t want to make it deep or anything, but I've definitely realized that people need to understand themselves in order to really have a great time in college and get the most they can out of it. So I guess what this prompt is really saying is that, somewhere along the line we get to start afresh, we get a start in life and maybe it's not the one we imagined or wanted, but at least it's a start. Back in high school everyone had cliques and it made making friends ridiculously annoying, but here everyone is just trying to figure themselves out as much as they are trying to find a place to belong. We're all in this together, and I guess thats the best start you can get.

"To know nothing of what happened before you were born is to forever remain a child." -Cicero

 Ignorance is bliss. Innocence is pure. When you know nothing of any topic you tend to be happy , you're innocent to the topic. Remaining a child usually means being unaware to the topics and the world around you. When being told of horrible events in history such as Wars,  Politics , Civil Rights, even Hitler,our minds begin to become more aware of our past.  Which helps us paint the picture of how we view our present lives. When we start becoming more aware we begin to realize that there are roots and that we are just a part of the branches. When we are knowing of our past we learn who we are, and who we want to become. Our identities come from our roots just as much as they come from our present. As a child you do not have the intelligence to decide who you are , you only identify with the name your parents have given you . You don't critically think, about the world before you only the world presented to you, you  pay attention to  TV shows , social  events and celebrities scandals. You tend to only focus on the now more then the future.  Your Stuck as the bud , a child ,when you need to grow to be a flower ,and learn to balance your power. When you open your mind to the past you learn what your current life lacks , and only then will you know who you are and your no longer just a sprout.

"...sometimes a start is all we ever get"

This prompt most likely refers to the chances we get in life. It could refer to life in general. We are born and sometimes that’s the best chance we’ll ever get. It may also refer to simple things in life. It could mean that a boy gets a chance at getting on the varsity soccer team but that’s it. He doesn’t make the team and that shot was his only one. It could mean a woman has one shot at landing a job by meeting her potential boss for lunch, but she screws it up because her phone went off while the man was about to deliver the punch line to his really bad joke. A start. That’s it. I don’t really know what else to put down. I’m just trying to gather my thoughts by this point. This is my first written piece for college. I will make sure to save this one in a special place. I’m not exactly sure who Junot Diaz is, but I am sure she is a very strong leader and representative for women (that’s just my guess). “Sometimes a start is all we ever get”. This quote also makes me think that you shouldn’t get your hopes to0 high. You could just be getting started on something great, but it all goes down the toilet because shit just happens. I’ve changed my mind on who Junot Diaz is. She is a writer (I didn’t see that there was a title of a book/story next to her name on the board. I’ve never heard of “This is How You Lose Her”, nor have I heard of Junot Diaz before. Is this a well-known story and I’m just completely clueless? Is it just a random book and a random quote that my professor found fifteen minutes before class? I wonder if I’m the only one that isn’t really writing about the actual quote and that I’m just rambling and rambling the entire time. I actually do love the quote, “…sometimes a start is all we ever get.” It just kind of resonates with me. Personally, I feel that I have had many opportunities in my life, but that’s all they were… opportunities. They never turned into anything greater or bigger than that. “…sometimes a start is all we ever get.” That’s some deep stuff.