TV Advertisements Lack

Book commercials. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw a book commercial, even quite possibly for a Harry Pothead book. The only book advertised on television is Yellowbook! What happened to all the books? Has reading a book become a luxury? Because to my knowledge, only the most luxurious and prestigious items aren’t disposed of on television. I mean, you don’t see commercials for a Lamborghini and yet sales continue. So does this mean that television doesn’t sport book commercials because books are such extravagant items? Or could it more possibly be because…

No one cares about books anymore. Television is the perfect medium to advertise up and coming books, or simply emphasize the classics like Mark Twain. I’m sure bookstores would agree with this, and even though they get enough business, it’s no doubt that advertisements would bring about more. Heck, book commercials may even convince some indolent people to pick up a book.

Last time I saw someone wholeheartedly enjoying a book, I was in middle school. I have, however, seen one of my friends savoring some books, but besides that one friend, and I do have quite a few, none read. In fact, many of my friends tell me how much they dislike reading. A popular quote would be ‘I don’t like it,but I’ll read it if I have to’. That’s nice. Down with imagination,eh?

Everyone sees the work in reading. What work is there really besides burning .5 of a calorie flipping pages? If it’s an enjoyable book, which it should be if you’re reading for yourself, there are more pluses then negatives. Even when you are forced to read, by mid-book one is typically saying to themselves ‘Hey, this isn’t so bad.’. Let’s take…The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald for example. A requirement for class, many of my fellow students began reading out of necessity. The first few pages were torture, I agree, but if you want the grade…And so we all kept on reading. By the time we got to the third chapter, a lot of my classmates were in consensus that it was actually a good book.

Now that I think about it even more, I can’t remember where I last saw an advertisement for a book that wasn’t on Amazon.com or on some banner ad in a decrepit and ancient site. Not even a poster.

My Blue Balloon.

My Blue Balloon
(snap snap pop)

Wake up
to see that
I’m still alive,
I’m still alive.

Open
my window
to notice how
the wind blows.

Oh life, why?
Why am I still here?
Oh life, why?
It’s never clear.

It’s easy to
misunderstand
me.
I never know
what time and place
to be.

Blue balloon
Find me today.
Blue balloon,
You never came my way.

Daisy,
oh what a girl
she always knew
just what to say.
Blue balloon,
it went to her
and then she went away.

Blue balloon,
where are you today?
Blue balloon
you never came my way.

Floating
off the second floor
Jack grabs the string
of a blue balloon.
Quickly,
his feet just slide
right off the ground.
He’s on his way.

Blue balloon,
Am I stuck here to stay?
Blue balloon,
you never came my way.

There he goes,
My blue balloon,
he’s come for me
has he come for me?
Hey you green,
Step on off
my blue balloon
today’s the day,
I get away.

Green get off
my blue balloon.
I’ve waited too long
To watch it go off oh so soon.

Blue balloon,
I was betrayed.
Blue balloon
you came my way but then you went astray.
Okay…

Blue balloon
I’ll wait for you
cause red balloons
they just don’t do.

Escape From The Institution

On the last day of school, my friends and I decided to go. We got placed, along with 200 or so others kids, inside the gym, where we sat and did nothing. They tried to force us to watch some boring movie,but when that didn’t work, they began showing our school’s football home videos. Oh, that was the last string. It was about 10:20am and school let out at 12. So my friends and I devised a plan. When lunch gave out, the gym spilled into the hall. Our plan was to go out through the science wing,but it was blocked. Teachers everywhere were patrolling and making sure we went straight to the cafeteria. We walked back to the gym, since teachers were yelling ‘Either Cafeteria or back to the Gym!’. At that time, we felt defeated. As we walked in, teachers yelled at us again, ‘Go out! Go to the cafeteria!’. So we turned around again. Teachers yelled at us AGAIN. And we went back to the gym.

Since we had been the first four to come into the Gym, my friend figured…’Hey guys, are you thirsty?’. Turns out, the EXIT doors were next to the water fountain, which were semi-hidden from the teachers on the opposite side of the gym. Quickly, but at a constant pace, we made way past the fountain and through the door.

“Bam!” We felt like regular criminals,haha. So,new plan; Up the stairs and into the language classes, where a good teacher/friend of ours would house us. Problem; Doors at the top of the stairs were locked. “Damn it.” I suggested we turn around, go back down, and make for the teacher parking lot, since everyone should be directing students into the cafeteria.

With a 007 sort of pizazz, we turned corners, crouched down, ran from car to car until finally, we were in the dead center of the parking lot. “Should we go through the field, or through the front of the school?” I asked. I wanted to go through the field, but my partners in crime(haha) decided to keep walking towards the front.

“Bam!” Security guard in a golf cart. “Quick! Turn around and make pretend like we have business inside of the school. Keep walking towards the school…Pretend we’re late.” Luckily, the security guard didn’t mind us and went the opposite way. ‘Phew’. New plan; don’t go back in the school, but instead go around the back and out through the track field. On our way there, we met a bunch of freshies and sophomores who had failed at attempting to leave. They said the gate to the track field was closed. We checked anyway.

“Bam!” Opened. I took my shoes off…and ran. Suddenly, it was a race to freedom. It felt as though we were prisoners of war, given one oxygen molecule too many. As a joke, I nicknamed our little escapade ‘Escape from the Nazi Concentration Camp’. However, we weren’t out yet. As we were turning the corner of the track field, baseball players were having a game, but they paid no mind to us. It was a bus parked in the field that worried us. I had a feeling something might be hiding behind there. Turns out, it was the same security guard from the teach parking lot. ‘Crap. Stay close to the fence and turn the corner quick’.

I was the last to turn the corner. Amazingly, she didn’t see us. Just in case, we picked up the pace until we were sprinting down the fence, cracking jokes about fat security guards. ‘Come here, you hoodlums! I’ll give you this donut! Err…Half this donut………A piece.’ Hahaha. The bus stop was dead in front of us, but instead we took to the road.

The back road. They were building a church next to the field, and the construction site threw its garbage in the back, making a sort of protective alley way. We shimmied through that and at the other end was a fence; It was either go back or walk straight through the somewhat active construction parking lot. Choosing plan B, we strode straight through. A man walked out from within the church building and saw us, but like many other adults, paid no mind to us. He snickered and smiled, seemingly knowing exactly what we were doing. When we reached the end of the construction site, we were dead on the sidewalk, a very popular sidewalk for cops,being as it wasn’t in the best of neighborhoods. ‘Take off your top shirts’ I said. Each of us had some sort of under shirt that looked nothing like a school shirt(collared or school colors).

So now, we had to get to my friend’s house, which was so conveniently located on the complete other side. We ended up circling the school in the hot,Floridian summer heat. By the time we made it,hahah, school was about to let out in 45 minutes. A waste of effort and day? Not at all! We lost some calories and the adrenaline rush fed our silly child-like thoughts. It was a day to remember,haha.

Family: Impossible

I was reading an article the other day about two brothers who used to be really close before moving into separate rooms, and it made me realize how far apart families are growing nowadays. It may not be technology either. I’m not really blaming it on anything. Perhaps it is just another development of the human species, trying to reduce family time. Who knows, maybe in the future children will be off in college during our high school…Or not.

This summer, my brother and I have gotten really close. I use to hate him quite a lot. We had a couple things in common, but being as young as he is, it was difficult to put up with his hyperactivity and his low level of understanding for others.  However, this summer has forced us to pent up our differences and make friends. I really do feel like a sister now. A few years late,but better than never.

Family. It’s a really close bond. It’s people you’re stuck with until death. There was a time when family did things that would be considered weird now, like walking around naked in the house together or showering together. It’s frowned upon now,but it may not necessarily be society(thought most likely).

I never have dinner with my family. It seems that less and less families are taking the time to sit down and have dinner together. I’m sure this is contributing to the amount of separation from each other that families experience. We take our meals, we sit on the couch, we go to our rooms. There are some days where I don’t even see some members of my family because they may never get up off the couch or I may never leave my computer. We all live in our own worlds.

A lot of my friends, even myself, try to escape our own houses with the intent to leave our family behind. Do we hate them? Probably not. Heavily dislike? Probably not. It is most probable that we just don’t understand them and who they are. In turn, they probably don’t understand us and who we are.

And it’s something ugly.

Stem Cells-Cure or Kill?

In the scientific domain, research has always intended to better human life. Minor sacrifices have been made in order to achieve major goals. Labs are the norm, and in the scientific world, everything is within method. Yet, some current researches bring up questions. One such investigation is stem cell research, or the research of undeveloped cells in embryos. In order to search for answers, there are some instances where the embryos are disposed of after use. Many wonder if humans should have the power to destroy life for the sake of science.
In many cases, stem cells are a miracle to behold,gripping the power to further life. What exactly are stem cells? Stem cells are cells within an embryo that have the possibility to differentiate into a number of diverse cell types, otherwise known as having a high plasticity(NIH Stem Cell Information). This potential can serve as a repair system in the body( such as for liver cells) and can divide without a limit in its living environment. A stem cell’s potential to renew themselves continually, coupled with the possibility of being induced to become cells with special functions, makes them of utmost importance. Scientists use stems cells found from primarily two sources in humans and animals: Embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are undifferentiated cells derived from a 5-day preimplantation embryo, while adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in a differentiated tissue that can renew itself and differentiate to a limit. Human embryonic cells can be created from human embryos produced through in vitro fertilization, a way of producing embyros in a laboratory, and also through therapeutic cloning(refers to the cloning of an embryo for the purpose of deriving stem cells for therapeutic uses). Stem cells may be isolated from embryos, umbilical cords, and adult tissues(Panno xi-xii). The importance of stem cells comes from the fact that they give rise to the cells that become the heart, lungs, skin, and other important tissue (NIH Stem Cell Information). In addition, they have the potential to cure a wide array of diseases by coaxing stem cells into producing cell types that may be used to cure diseases such as cardiovasculars ailments, spinal cord disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimers, and some cancers (Panno, xi-xii). In fact, stem cells have been proved to cure and calm down disease symptoms, most prominently leukemia and paralysis(Panno 36).
Despite it’s many advantages, ethic questions do arise, mostly in concern to therapeutic cloning of human embyros solely for the purpose of research. People all over the world question the morality of stem cell research. As a result, stem cell research faces many obstacles. While inquiries continue, scientists find it extremely difficult to find funding for their research. Numerous researchers have turned to private financing and funding other than from the government, including the National Institute of Health, which has donated 28 million dollars over two years ( Nano). Producing stem cell lines, or a family of constantly-dividing cells used for research, is expensive and can come in at 5,000 dollars each, becoming a huge block for scientists. Since 2001, President Bush has placed a restricting policy on funding for stem cell research. In June 21,2007, Bush renewed this policy and explained that he would continue blocking legislation to permit federal funding for such research based on a moral case. According to Bush “If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embyros. I made it clear to congress and to the American people that I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line” (Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Research Funding). Nevertheless, Bush permitted funding to continue only to those cell lines already in existance (Nano).
The morality in the previous quote issued by Bush presents two major difficulties in the name of ethics. There are a multitude of people in the world who disagree with stem cell research, claiming that it is murder to kill a human fetus, especially for research purposes. Therapeutic cloning, a main source, harvests embryonic stem cells and disposes of the embryo. This is a large piece of the ethical puzzle, putting forward the morality of destroying embyros or human life for scientific gain. The so-called murder challenges basic human rights and is compared to the “cruel experiments that prisoners were found to endure at the hands of the Nazis during World War II”, a topic discussed in the Belmont Report (Panno 72). The Belmont Report is a kind of ethical guideline for biomedical researchers to use in order to avoid abuses similar to those in Nazi Germany. These fetal murders are also compared to the American trial, the Tuskegee Study, in which 600 African-American males participated in a study dealing with syphilis, 400 of which had contracted the disease. With disregard to human rights, the researchers involved in the study did not disclose the information to the afflicted individuals, who had wives and children that had most likely contracted the disease. Many of the ’subjects’ suffered fatal symptoms and died without knowing the cause and leaving family members behind(73).
Opponents of embryonic stem cell research believe it is wrong to use human embryos for any kind of research or medical therapy, and have characterized the practice as ‘high tech cannibalism’(Panno 74-75). It also intertwines with the very emotional and highly politicized issue of abortion, which has been around since it’s very beginning, and both pose the same billion dollar question- When does an embryo or fetus become human? This question has been debated by any who came across it for over 2,000 years. The famous greek philosopher, Aristotle, set across a theory towards the answer to this question. He believed that life arose in three stages, which he characterized as vegetative, animate, and intellectual. Immediately after conception, the embyro is in a vegetative state, followed by an animate stage when muscles differentiate and limbs begin to move and finally, the individual develops an intellect. The first two stages take place within the womb, while the last stage occurs outside. Thus, in the minds of many , an embryo did not become human until after birth. Back to the question of therapeutic cloning, a good portion of scientists believe that cloned human embyros are not acutally human. However, the other portion of scientists suppose that now, upon the completion of the human genome project(a research effort to identify all of the genes in human DNA), humans have access to the information that makes them who they are, a process which begins as the embyro. (75-76)

A successful experiment that is used as an example for proving a species genes define what it becomes is Dolly the sheep. Dolly was a product of cloning and in vitro fertilization. Regardless of how she came about, scientists classify her as a sheep. This led to the belief that like Dolly, cloned embyros are what their genes are. According to the same logic, “If an embryo has a human genome, regardless of how it got it, that embryo is human”(Panno 78). This further supports the conflicting views about when an embryo becomes human. Everywhere, no one is sure on how to go about the issues and countries are trying to figure out a set of laws on the matter. UK parliament banned experiments on embryos older than 14 days, for example, and the EU concluded that experiments on embryos from in vitro fertilization should be allowed. Religious members are also taking a big part of this ethical question. Roman Catholics agree that the early embryo must be treated as a person. Others argue that the status of a person is something that develops over time and is not acquired at fertilization. Such a view is supported by the fact that parents are more likely to grieve the loss of a newborn child than the loss of an embryo or fetus. There is no public mourning for the natural loss of a fetus or surplus embryos disposed of at in vitro clinics(77-79). In the United States Supreme court case Roe V. Wade, the court filed that embryos can not be aborted once they become ‘viable’, or able to live outside the womb. Again, another source of belief for people in search of an answer.
There are many interpretations for when an embryo becomes a human, but a good portion support alternatives stem cells(Allman 99).Some are adamant in their positions, such as the Vatican, who strongly oppose embryonic stem cell research, and have instead been active in promoting adult stem cell research as an alternative. In 2000, the Vatican issued a statement:

The possibility, now confirmed, of using adult stem cells to attain the same goals as
would be sought with embryonic stem cells…indicates that adult stem cells represent a
more reasonable and human method for making correct and sound progress in this new
field of research and in the therapeutic application which it promises. (Allman 99)

It is proving quite difficult for scientists to change people’s opinion on the matter. Some become persuaded and some seek alternatives. Prominent figures, who had an ultimate stance, are changing their opinion in favor of stem cells. Former first lady Nancy Reagan, whose husband suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, is a vocal supporter of stem cell research and explains “Ronnie’s long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him,” she said. “Because of this I’m determined to do whatever I can to save other families from this pain”(CBSNews). Senator Orrin had once been inflexible on his opinion regarding stem cells, but after doing a bit of research, sided with science. Initially opposed, he once stated that he ‘could not support anything that destroyed human life”(Allman 98-99). In 2003, he heard from multiple accounts of suffering among people with serious diseases, and this prompted a philosophical journey that changed his mind. He explained “I came to the conclusion that, yes, the fertilized egg is a living human cell, but it has absolutely zero chance of becoming a living human being unless it is implanted in a womb. It was difficult arriving at this point at which I could make a decision. But once I got there, it was easy”.

Irving Weissman, the director at the Institute of Stem Cell Biology at Standford, agrees that “you can’t say the word embryo without people thinking of a fetus that has arms, legs, a head and so on”(Allman 36).There is truth in his words. Embryos at the preimplantation blastocyst stage have no recognizable body parts or organs whatsoever, and have only about 60 cells in the inner cell mass which bears no resemblance to any cell in an adult tissue or organ. Weissman states “There’s no kidneys, there’s no hearts; I mean there’s nothing”. Why then, do people argue that it is a living human? An embryo doesn’t look like one, nor does it think like one. With all the evidence supporting the ethnicity of stem cell research, it is clear that sacrificing what some see as a human life for the sake of science may be more morally correct than we think. At the expense of one embryo, science grows. More cures become available for more people and more diseases become nothing more than simple irritations. In the destruction of one, possibly nonhuman embryo, thousands upon thousands are saved. As a matter of fact, those that stand in the way of stem cell research look as criminal, costing a legion of humans the right to health. Every three minutes and 20 seconds, someone who could have benefited from stem cell research dies of cardiovascular diseases(Heart Disease Facts). Every year, more than half a million Americans die of cancer, some which could have benfited from stem cell research(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). A wise person once said “With great sacrifice comes great rewards”.Is it ethical, then, to save the life of one embryo or the lives of thousands?

Works Cited

Allman, Toney. Great Medical Discoveries: Stem Cells. Michigan: Lucent Books, 2006

Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Research Funding. June 21, 2007. Guardian.co.uk. April 12, 2008 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/21/science.uselections2008>.

CBS NEWS. May 10, 2004. CBS Broadcasting Inc. April 1,2007 <www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/10/health/main616473.shtml>.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Feb. 13,2008. Department of Health and Human Services. April 12,2007 <http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/dcpc.htm>.

Heart Disease Facts. 2007. Statistics, Causes, Risk Factors and Symptoms of Myocardial Infarction, Heart Stoppage and Stroke. April 12, 2008 <http://www.annecollins.com/nutrition/heart-facts.htm>.

Nano, Stephanie. “Stem Cell Research Expanding.” The Miami Herald NA (Miami,Fl) March 2007

NIH Stem Cell Information. Nov. 21,2007. National Institutes of Health. April 2,2008 <http://stemcells.nih.gov/>.

Panno, Joseph. Stem Cell Research: Medical Applications and Ethical Controversy. N/A: Facts on File, October 2004

Senator Orrin Hatch Aborts Views to Support Stem Cell Research. Feb. 17,2003. Clarson Integrator. April 1,2007 <www.clarksonintegrator.com/news/2003/02/17/features/Senator.Orrin.Hatch.Aborts.View s.To.Support.Stem.Cell.Research-372910.shtml>.

Mathematics…

You may not realize it but…Mathematics rules the world. It’s omnipresence is heavy on everything. Anywhere you turn, there it is. On the clock, on your phone, in your computer, in your kitchen….EVERYWHERE. And you know, it’s a sad truth but I couldn’t do math for the life of me. Oh sure, simple addition and subtraction, some division here,a little algebra there. No problem. But what about the more complicated problems,like calculus and trigonometry? Once I make it to college, I’m going to be screwed beyond imagination. I can barely learn how to perform simple algebraic functions with teacher instruction…How in the world am I supposed to learn through lectures and reading books? I can’t learn math from a book,I just can’t. I’ve tried. I’ve ever tried to look over things I already knew in a book and just trying to understand it made me know less.

I don’t want to point fingers…::points finger::….But I’d like to blame my middle school teachers. You know the type. The ones that just wrote assignments on the board and left it up to you to figure it out. The ones that passed everyone despite failing grades. The ones who refused to teach even though that’s a job requirement. Can you believe that I never learned how to manually divide until the 11th grade? Oh yeah, I am ashamed. I still count on my fingers, and I use a damn calculator for everything. I’m very dependent on a calculator. It saddens me. I try to learn it, I do, but it never sticks. I know I’m going to need it in the future, a lot. What am I going to do? I can’t keep skimping by math classes and passing with flying colors. I’m tired of asking for help and not receiving any. I’m tired of having to lean over my shoulder for answers. It’s not the person I want to be.

I want to be able to do math.

Lately, the student body is unable to do math. Much of them. Most of them. I’m just terrified of the future. I don’t want to fall into the category of students who couldn’t even pass high school because of math. And I know, I know that my math skills are going to highly affect my SAT scores and I won’t get into the school I want to. But hey,that’s life. What can you do? I’m such an idiot.

Faces

Have you ever thought about how many people in the world have similar faces to you? Perhaps they stole your face? Maybe there is a database out there with pictures of every kind of face, unnamed and named a like. Have you ever seen the episode of Seinfield where a window dummy looks just like Elaine? That’s pretty much what I mean.

Faces. There’s a lot more to say about faces. They are one’s key to the world, and they drastically alter the world’s acceptance of us. Say our key is bent…The doors will forever be closed. Some have the key,but never reach the door. What is exactly is this door? What do you think this door is? Is the door belonging? Comfort? Safety? Happiness? Success? Love?

But can one who’s key does not fit still go through the door? I’ve seen some instances. It happens. These people find all they need in spite of their deformed keys. Maybe it is because they meet someone who has a working key…And they lead that person to the door? They complete each other? So many thoughts…What about a perfect key? Does it exist? Surely it is not mine. Do I want the perfect key? Would that be selfish…Are there many perfect keys? I’ve seen some beautiful people…I’ve seen some beautiful people destroy themselves. Who,exactly is more successful? The rejected keys or the working keys?

The media definitely plays a huge role in the whole face/key thing. The models and the photoshopped magazine covers, and the celebrities. ‘Be the Perfect Key’- A slogan for the future? Looking through the magazines and watching television shows I notice the beautiful actresses,the handsome celebrities, and the image of perfection. In reality, it is the image of wealth. The media makes money off of us; They jingle the keys in their hands and every once in a while,throw a couple off. Today, brunettes are no longer in style. Tomorrow, blonds will rule the world. Today, there will be no blue shirts. Tomorrow, red shirts will plague the horizon. Fat keys? No. Misshapen keys? No. Deformed keys? No. Blind keys? No. Mute keys? No. Dark keys? No. White keys? No. What keys? Perfect keys.

In the end, we are only one other key held in the dirty hands of a Janitor’s ring.

Knights and Knaves

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

-George Orwell

The younger generation of America has been afflicted by an epidemic of lies. It is difficult to go through a whole day without hearing one person speak about some great fib they told. It’s difficult to find someone who willingly admits to telling the truth. Media doesn’t help either. Movies portray characters that sneak out of their houses, guys who blow things out of proportion, sleazy lying chicks. Everyone says ‘Thumbs Up’ to lying.

A typical scenario

“Hey,let’s go out to a party tonight.”

“I can’t,my mother won’t let me.”

“So what? Say you’re sleeping over your friend’s house.”

It’s not just a battle between parents and their children either. It’s schools and students, authors and plagiarism, clubs and fake IDs. Lying is everywhere. Telling the truth is now a sin.

“That girl over there…yeah…She tells the truth. What a loser.”

If lying were a drug, more than half of America would be high off their asses right now. And we all know the media lies. The government lies. And I’ve got to say, it’s infectious, like a chain reaction. Once you convince someone to do it,and they get away with it, they discover that fun only comes by performing misdeeds. Fun is only fun when it’s a fun that wasn’t going to happen otherwise. Chronic liars get a high off of a every cock-and-bull story. It’s never ending.

Deception may as well be a crime. When you lie to me and I believe you, I invest my time and energy, my care in helping you do whatever it is you’re lying to me about. You’re taking my time. And well, once one finds out about it, you’re short one friend.

When you deceive others, you are making a mockery of speech, which was intended to display the thoughts of the person speaking to a hearer. In every context this is true. Every small fib starts a web of lies which undermines truth in our society. Don’t lie. Don’t be part of the problem.

There are many types of lies, like tall tales,or white lies. Some help people, others harm everyone. They say it depends on the situation, but many philosophers,such as Immanuel Kant, would stand by the idea that lying is wrong on all levels. It’s immoral. Lying should not be done even if it’s the only thing that could protect your life. Die with dignity.

Religion houses its lies as well. In its stories, its preachers, its followers. Don’t be so naive to think that everyone is of such purity. This world was built by blocks of deceit. In the grand scheme of it all, evolution, creationism, the universe, lying is an animal characteristic. It is a human trait to be able to decide whether or not to tell the truth.

Some say those who tell the truth say so out of weakness, but in reality, those who tell lies do so out of cowardice.

What quality is there to a life of lies? In the end, it’s that cradle of filth that will bury you.

The Wordless Wars: Down With Intelligence

A close friend of mine made the following quote on education in society:

I can’t even talk with an “average” kid. It’s just too frustrating sometimes that now I just don’t deal with them. They don’t give a shit about their school. They graffiti on the walls everyday, throw chicken bones on the ground after lunch, toss garbage everywhere. These fucktards are all wannabe gangsters. Their goal in life is to be a part of a gang, and seem like the most badass person. They spit on all that I hold dear: decency, education, logic, human life.

Being part of the younger generation today just works to depress me. I am ashamed at even being on the same age level with some of these people. You ask why the education system is so messed up in America? It’s this; Children who don’t give a shit about school anymore. All they ever hear is ‘You don’t need college. You can just work at McDonalds’. And well, their parents aren’t that great of examples either. My German teacher, Mr.Houstoun, who is also a math teacher, is constantly explaining to our class the degraded quality of our American youth. Many say things like ‘We don’t need school’ and ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m not doing anything to anyone’. Fact of the matter is, they’re wrong. They’re bringing down the schools they’re in and taking its students with them. The future of America never seemed brighter. You know that joke kids used to say- You’ll be making my fries for the rest of your life- it couldn’t be closer to the truth. Its these children, with they’re ‘I don’t give a damn’ attitude that are going to bring our economy down. America better prepare for what will be a most devastating chain reaction. These people will never amount to anything. They’ve been so influenced by the media and their own idiotic role models that it is impossible for them to bounce back. There’s just so much a teacher can do.

Three possible scenarios-

1. The student cares and the teacher cares: best scenario

2. The student cares, but the teacher doesn’t: some hope still remains

3. The student doesn’t care, but the teacher does: not much hope there

4. Neither give a damn: worst case scenario

There’s a huge difference between the students at my school. Some are dumb and some are stupid. Those who are dumb are capable of learning. We were all once dumb at some point or another. A teacher can teach a dumb student and give them the potential to become something successful or just do something with their life. Now stupid students can’t learn. Stupid students refuse to be taught and believe that school is a waste of time. Most stupid students are adamant in their own stupid opinions and will never change. Despite their own feelings, they’re not doing the right thing.

I could go on forever. The youthful nation is nothing but a bunch of imbeciles and simpletons.

You can find another well-written article on this topic at

www.garrettwasson.wordpress.com

The Annual Moment

In my family there aren’t many good times, but there sure have been a lot of bad times. Today was out of the ordinary though. Today, we came together as a family and played this odd game…The object of the game is for one person to make a fist and have everyone in the room look at it in a sneaky matter. Whoever looks at it,loses. Boy,did we have a good time. Hands popped out of everywhere,hahaha, and I had my fair share of loses. All through out the day the game continued, and with every try there was laughter and smiles, something ever so rare in my family.

This made me wonder. There will come a day when they won’t be there anymore. Be it college or death. My mother won’t be there to make me hot tea for my stomach. My brother won’t be there to bother me to the edge of insanity. My father won’t be there to give me money from time to time. And well, my step dad won’t be there to make my life a living hell. So it hasn’t all been fun times, but in the end, family is family, blood is blood, and they will always be there for you whether they want to or not. I’ll always be there for them whether I want to or not.

These good times are killing me.