Sometimes I feel that a number, especially, a big number like 300,000 does not do justice to the actual human loss. Each person was an individual. Each person was a mother, father, sister, brother, etc. I think that this point is overlooked sometimes during these massive tragedies. The tsunami was another example of this. We are farther removed from these tragedies because they are not happening here in America. I understand this, but I think that we should at least stop and think about the actual human loss from time to time. It is easy to donate ten dollars, and it’s a good thing. I just think we have to make ourselves realize what actually happened down there.
In my opinion I think South Park is probably among one of the best shows on television right now. It always is able to stir controversy which I think is an important thing. Society is too sensitive, and I like that there is still at least one show that is not afraid to make fun of things. I understand I guess that extreme Muslims were not too happy with the most recent episode, but then again are they ever really happy? There always threatening people with violence, so this is nothing really new. There have been instances in the past where actual violence has been carried out against people who have done this kind of thing. I hope that this is not the case this time.
I feel that rather than just stereotyping all prisoners as dumb, aggressive, and violent we have to stop and think about who they actually are. They are serving their sentence, and I think that it is during this time that they gain a great deal of insight. In fact, I think that prisoners, especially the ones who are in jail for life are probably among the most insightful people around. I mean think about it; they have all this time to learn things about people and about themselves. This letter made me think about a question that I have heard a few times before. The question is somewhere along the lines of would you rather spend the rest of your life in jail or receive the death penalty. This letter furthered my opinion that life in jail is by far the better of the two options. The thing is that a lot of people say that they would rather receive the death penalty. I can not really understand this response. It seems to me that life regardless of if you are behind bars is worth living. This letter helped me see this a little better. He is in prison for life, but his knowledge of other human beings has only been enhanced since he was put away.
This letter is both interesting and sad to me. We, as a society, do have a definite stereotype in regards to inmates. This makes sense I guess because we assume that since they are behind bars, they must be awful people. We have to remember that inmates are human just like all the rest of us. They have the same feelings and emotions as people living on the outside. This letter helped me realize this fact better. I have thought many times about how easy it is to be in the same situation as many of these men in jail. All it takes is one bad decision, and we too can wind up in their situation. We do not often think about the ramifications of our actions while they are occurring. These men have their entire lives to think back on the one incident that landed them in the penitentiary. I can not even imagine the regret that some of them feel. I can not imagine having to be stuck in the same place for such a long time. So, then I ask myself if I were in their situation what would I be doing with my time while locked up. I think that like this anonymous prisoner who wrote the letter I would do a lot of deep thinking. I would definitely try to find a lot of things to read and write.
Revenge is a common feeling, especially after losing a loved one to violence, but to go about your revenge in this manner does not really make any sense to me. This woman is blowing herself up. Not only is she killing herself, something that her husband probably would not want, but she is trying to take the lives of others and cause more people hardship and loss. If everyone acted like her and sought revenge in this manner, than there actually would be no one left. So although I understand the premise of revenge, I do not understand how this can possibly help anything.
The play that we saw in class was pretty eye-opening for me. As a guy, I never really stopped to think about how women have to make decisions like this. Sure I know that they alter their body, sometimes surgically, but I guess never thought about the difficulty in actually making a decision like this. There must be so much weighing down on a person who feels that they have to make this much of an alteration. I mean, I wish I could say that I know how they feel, but I can’t even imagine how they feel. And as long as beauty is such an important part of our society I don’t really see any chance of improving this problem.
I can speak for myself because I have been taking German, a language that has been getting taken away in schools, since high school, and I have not regretted making that decision in any way at all. Taking a language that may seem odd to others is a very rewarding experience. German exposed me to the culture, customs, and people of Germany. This is definitely something I may have overlooked if I had taken a different language. I am sure this is the same for Mandarin. Taking another language is a rewarding experience any way you look at it. Whether it be German, Mandarin, or Spanish, a language is a tool that can only help, and if the popular language to take these days is Mandarin then that’s alright.
Whether this means that they are taking business related courses or learning Mandarin, they are being crafted. I am not surprised that many of these people who want their kids to overachieve are pushing them towards this kind of a language. I have heard, although I really do not know that Mandarin is among one of the most challenging languages to learn as a non-native speaker, so then it only makes sense that children try to learn this at a young age. I just worry that it may be possible that the same thing that happened in Japan in the eighties might happen to China sometime in the future, and then who knows maybe the kid who learned Mandarin would have been far better off if he took a more traditional language like Spanish. I guess when it comes down to it, learning any second language is a really good thing.
First of all, I was very interested to learn that this kind of a change is occurring in our public elementary schools and high schools at this rate. For the percentage of schools that offer Chinese to jump from one percent to four percent is pretty staggering. I guess this makes sense though now that China has emerged as our global competitor and our global trade partner. Of course, it makes sense that the rate of Chinese language being taught has increased. Along with the current state of global economics, China is funding these teachers to come from China to the United States. The public schools, who always, seem to be strapped for cash probably, love this incentive. Why not take advantage of something that is given to you for free? Along with free teachers we also have to look at our society. Parents are pushing their kids into education at younger and younger ages. They even have programs that teach babies how to identify words. Kids are being trained to become the next generation of business leaders.
This is an interesting question, and I actually had to think about if my opinions have changed since entering this class. I remember coming into the class, and not really expecting to have any kind of new opinions, and too a degree I think that most of my views are similar. However, I do have to say that this class has been fulfilling because it has made me think more than a lot of my other classes. I have also learned a lot of interesting facts, and heard a lot of other peoples’ opinions. So, while maybe my views and opinions are similar, I think that Sam’s lectures and the class, in general, was definitely worth while.
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Creation