A 'Final' Word From Tyler Brown

Throughout the time that I have been aware of the culture around me, I have found a major flaw with humanity. That is, humanity’s unwillingness to think for itself. Dictation is so much easier to live by, since it requires so little individual thought. People in society would much rather be told how to look, dress, eat, and live. This is especially present in the area of consumerism and how it relates to the everyday lives of the individual. Even before taking this class, the idea of how blind we are to the schemes of companies to entice us to buy things we don’t need sickened me. While taking this class, we ran across this subject and it excited me deeply. Obviously, many in the class had strong opinions on the subject since we spent several weeks talking about consumerism and technology. Personally, the most interesting part of the class was those three or four weeks we discussed these topics. The reason for this of course was that I have very strong feelings on those issues and the presented a strong interest for me. I found those weeks among the most fascinating and valuable weeks of the class.

As a disclaimer, I do deal in extreme illustrations that are not always absolute. This is one reason I enjoyed reading Postman. He reminded me of myself in that, both of us use very extreme, sometimes ridiculous sounding illustrations to make others think about the points we are trying to make. Most people do not consider evidence that it presented in a common way. They want something powerful, something that makes them either strongly agree, or strongly disagree. I know this to be true, from the comments I received on my blog. I made it a point to write social commentaries that exaggerated my point. The comments I received ranged from those in extreme appreciation of what I wrote, strongly agreeing with the point I was making, to long, angry refutations of the things I was saying. These are exactly the reactions I strive to produce. I want to inspire emotion, and I believe that I accomplished that quite well. The best way to inspire emotion is to deal in illustration.

Consumerism is a problem; one that cannot easily be resolved. The reason being is that the lies we have been told for so many years are so deeply engrained in the minds of people that it is nearly impossible to get rid of them. For instance, consider this. There is no such thing as fashion. “Fashion” is a marketing tool used to make people think that they need more clothing in order to keep up with the times. If clothing designers had not thought of fashion, they would only sell enough clothes to keep people warm. There would be no need to buy new things every season, rather, just wear the clothes from years before. People would have no need to constantly update their wardrobes; in fact, they might not even have “wardrobes.” This illustration may seem extreme, and it’s not necessarily true, but it is an interesting idea. I tried to see how highly fashion rules were followed by taking a quick visit to the mall this weekend. I asked around in several different stores trying to find a white pair of shoes. The same response was given at every store, all the employees having the same look of their faces. They all looked at me like I was the biggest idiot they had ever met. Their reply was, “We don’t carry white after labor day.” Of course it came with the tone of “I can’t believe YOU had the audacity to ask such a ridiculous question.” Now who decided that white was unacceptable during a certain time of year, and why do we care? Doesn’t white look the same all the time? Could it be that we should have to buy different shoes for different seasons, even though the ones we already have are perfectly useful? How would the fashion designer combat this? He would come up with a useless rule that socially prohibits the wearing of certain shoes at certain time, forcing the public to reach into their wallet and purchase new, unnecessary shoes of a more acceptable color or style. That idea seems preposterous, yet it’s a cultural mainstay. How can we be so pliable, as to follow these “social rules” made by someone with no authority? I mean, someone like the president, who has legal power over his citizens, could say that the people of his country could not smoke marijuana. The interesting thing is, people still do, but heaven forbid they wear white while they smoke illegal drugs in mid-October.

Another point that I made time and time again was consumer responsibility. I believe that people have functioning brains and that they can be informed and well-learned. They can decide which products are worth-while. Many in the class had talked about corporate responsibility. They talked about media schemes and ways that corporations “force” people to buy their products. It was not explicitly stated, but implied that certain forms of brainwashing tactics were used to coerce children into asking for new products. This is a widely held opinion. One children’s channel, Baby Einstein T.V. does not allow commercials, because they believe that the ads are tainting the minds of American children. Although these may be influencing in many ways, we as Americans are discounting the role of parents in the development of children. Parents have to be pro-active in guiding their children in the ways of consumer safety. Of course, for this to work, parents must lead by example. This means that people need to reassess what is important and what is necessary. The public needs to become aware that they do, indeed have a choice, and that consumerism doesn’t have to be the driving force of their lives. This is definitely one of the lessons I have come across this semester.

This class has definitely been beneficial to me. I have drawn a greater awareness toward the education process, consumerism, and technology. Through class discussion and personal research, I have been able to step back and look at my personal beliefs and see if I actually thought they were true or if I had just unknowingly accepted them. I appreciated this course and I know that it will help me in the future as I try to view every issue from a more objective stance until I’m able to decide for myself what I do believe.

No Child Left Behind - Reforms Needed

Our project was about the “No Child Left Behind Act.” We took an interesting approach to our topic and it didn’t end up the way we had originally planned. At first, we thought that we would just find information about the Act and present it to the class and let the class decide for themselves which position to take on the issue. Once we had started looking into the Act more, we found more and more information that lead us to take a position. We found out various reasons why the Act is not working and how it could be reformed.
We found, firstly, that the Act was setting impossible standards for schools to comply with. It was requiring close to if not perfect proficiency in order to maintain school funding. If the schools were not meeting the proficiency standards they were put on a sort of probation for a year. After this time, if the school is not meeting proficiency standards, they are in danger of losing government funding and being shut down. To counter the effects of school shut downs, the government made it possible for students in a school that doesn’t meet standards to attend another school in the district. Unfortunately, some districts only have one school and if those school don’t meet standards, students run into trouble.
Another main issue in the Act is that it is not properly funded. When the Act was initiated, the government, on the President’s request, kicked in fifty percent of the funding needed for the Act, leaving the schools and the states responsible for the remaining half of the funding. Schools are finding it impossible to find the money to cover the mandatory legislation. They are being forced to cut programs and cut faculty pay.
This Act is not all bad. The main idea is very good in theory. It is a program that forces public schools into accountability. It tries to keep students proficient with the national standards. It help school learn how to establish tutoring and after school programs to allow students to get ahead and stay ahead. It also established uniformity in the school system through the use of standardized testing to measure proficiency. Unfortunately, it is very under funded and this is a major problem. The schools who are doing well, but do not have money to support the Act are being penalized.
Once we had discovered these things, we felt that we now had a very valid presentation and that we could take it somewhere. So we turned our research in a different direction. We began emailing our instructors to ask them for a first hand account of what they thought about the Act and how it was affecting schools. Many of them replied and, surprisingly, every single reply had the same answer. The answer was reinforcement to our conclusion that the ideals of this Act were excellent in theory, but putting them into practice, especially with the lack of funding, was very hard to do. They all thought that the government was not giving enough margin for error. Many people thought that the government was overstepping its boundaries in trying to control the public school system.
We then decided that the plan could work, but it needs major reforms. First of all, adequate funding is absolutely necessary. Secondly, evaluation of each school needs to be done on a personal basis rather than on a national standard. Different regions of the nation are performing differently and cannot be evaluated the same way. The bill was too rushed and not given enough thought before it was enacted. As of now, programs are being cut, schools are being closed and teachers and faculty are receiving salary cuts. It is very important for America’s youth to be well educated, but at what cost?

School and the gradual individual

We are taught to be individuals. Everywhere you go you see it. “Be yourself.” “Go your own way.” “Follow your heart.” Even fast food tells us to “Do what tastes right.” From the first day of preschool, we begin to learn to be individuals. Take Johnny and Kendra for example. Johnny and Kendra go to preschool. They are taught the same things, do the same crafts, and play with the same kids. Nothing separates them from anyone else in the class, not even their gender. Early elementary school starts and Johnny and Kendra begin to differentiate. Johnny starts hanging out with boys and starts to gain an interest in playing sports. Kendra starts playing with mainly girls and they enjoy dressing up and playing jump rope. Neither Kendra nor Johnny talks to each other anymore because they think that each other are “gross.” Late elementary school brings a few changes. These are simple steps in individual development: picking out their own clothes, packing their own lunches, etc. Once middle school starts, things begin to change. Kids begin to develop at different rates both mentally and physically. Johnny and Kendra begin to start talking again, but for different reasons. Kids begin to pick out their own friends and make decisions on their own. High school brings the individual more options to express himself/herself. They are able to make their own decisions, pick their own friends and classes, and make some life changing decisions. College is where the first real freedom of change happens. Kids are finally released from parental discretion and make decisions for themselves that will affect their lives. It is even encouraged by the college professors.

Small schools...the death of the individual

Please excuse the tardiness of this post, but good things take time! Just Kidding (Sort of)

Julie went to a large public high school in an average American town. She loved her high school very much. Although the large size made it slightly more difficult to know her faculty, it did give her the chance to meet a wide variety of people form all different walks of life. She had the option to express herself how she pleased through her choice in music, clothing style, and class choice. She could choose classes she wanted to take, such as interior design. Of course there were some conflicts, nowhere is perfect, but overall, Julie was satisfied with the way high school was going. One afternoon, after a long day at a school, she came home to find her parents sitting on the couch. She wondered what was going on. They told her that although she was doing very well in school, they didn’t think it was challenging enough for her. They had decided to send her to a small private parochial school that had a “stronger academic program” than the school she was attending. She was very upset, but being the chipper young girl she was, she had resolved to make the best of it. She was slightly concerned about attending this new school mid semester. She was going from a school of 3,000 to one of 150. This was going to be a huge adjustment. She was also worried because she had heard stories about this school. She thought that these must be exaggerations since the school was supposed to be a religious school. People had said that the students there were very cliquey and didn’t accept new people very easily. Julie wasn’t too worried about that. She was a pretty outgoing person and had never had trouble making friends before.
The time came for her first day at the new school. She drove into the parking lot and already noticed a big difference. This school had a very strict dress code that would not allow Julie to express her self through fashion, something that was very important to her. Also, she noticed that there were absolutely no minority students and that almost every that could drive had vehicles more expensive that even Julie’s parents’ cars. She walked into the office to prepare a class schedule. She was shocked to notice that she had only one option for class selection: Band or Choir. All the rest of the classes were chosen for her. There were no elective options. She deiced to let this roll off her shoulders and try to make the best of it. She stepped into her first class and started her day. She felt very uncomfortable throughout the day because no one would approach her. Being the outgoing person she was, she tried to talk to some of the students, but many of them were rude or would not respond. Julie was very disheartened by this. She had done nothing wrong and already she felt like every ounce of her being was being judged. She went home that night and told her parents about her day. They told her that it would all get better and to just try and stick it out. She agreed and continued to go back and experience the same results day after day…
After a week of this torment, she had almost had enough. She was in the bathroom stall when a group of girls came in. She could not help but overhear their conversation. Shockingly, it was about her! One girl said she heard that Julie was a drug addict that got arrested and this school was her last chance. Another said that Julie was overly promiscuous and had an oral STD. Julie was horrified to hear such awful rumors. She knew that those things were absolutely untrue. She now knew why everyone was giving her cold looks and why no one would talk to her. She had had enough. She couldn’t stay at this school anymore. She left the bathroom, called her parents in tears, and withdrew that same day.

This may sound extreme, but besides her name, Julie’s story is a true. It happened at my school. It was not just Julie. The sad thing was that there was at least one Julie every semester at my high school.

Words...What's in a name?

Language is the basis of society. It is what drives society and its people in their everyday lives. With language, comes the written word. This is how language can be communicated throughout the years from generation to generation. The written word, however, can become more complicated and confusing than the spoken word. Many times, the labeling of things makes them more complicated. Things such as time, we can understand as a concept. Once we label it with a word, calling it “time,” and try to describe it through words, it becomes infinitely more complex. Understanding things through description is much more difficult than through careful thought and imagination.
Another issue brought forth is that of connotation. The meaning placed behind words. A good example of this is words that are considered vulgar. Many of these words have relatively neutral meanings, but the society places meanings on these words. One example of this is the word “bloody.” In the Americas, this word has no particular meaning, but overseas in countries with British influence, this word is deemed inappropriate. This is not due to the meaning of the word, but rather, the meaning placed n the word by society. Connotation can also be considered in the use of words in the spoken language. Emphasis and word stress make up the majority of word meaning. In other words, it’s not what you say; it’s HOW you say it. Someone could say something as simple as, “You look nice today,” and it might not be a compliment at all. It could, in fact be a cutting and sarcastic remark. Learning to master stress and tone quality is very important in the use of language as a tool.
A third concern with language also stemming from the labeling process is that of naming. If something is named, it exists. I have a pencil in my hand. The pencil has a name, it is an object I can see and feel, thus it exists. What if something lacks a name and description? Does it exist? We’ve never seen it, felt it, looked at it, described it, etc. We know now that there is such a thing as gravity. Hundreds of years ago, people did not know what gravity was, they had never seen, felt, or described it. Today we have discovered it, named it, and described it, and thus, to us, it exists. How does language make something exist? Description makes things real to us. So to make things real to ourselves is to make things actually real. Gravity to those before Galileo didn’t exist, and things that do not exist to us, may soon exist in the future. Crazy thought, huh?

Language and Religion. Yes or No?

One of the most important things an education should do for students is to present the student information, so that they may make educated decisions on what they believe. They should be presented with the information necessary for them to shape their own lives. One of the many ways a school can provide this life shaping information is by providing a study on religion. This study would not promote one religion over another, but rather present the information about beliefs and the rationale behind them. This is very helpful in the student’s decision making process about their views of the world and how different religions compare with the student’s worldview. One must decide at one time or another, which religion to follow, because everyone has a religion. Even people who say they have no religion have religion, namely atheism. Another way that a student can widen his or her horizons is to take a foreign language. Not only do these languages aid in the understanding of other culture in the world, they can also be useful in the work environment. One can enhance their job simply by learning a foreign language. It has the ability of enabling the individual to earn more money, have more travel opportunity, and more life-shaping experience.
Schools with broader culture bases promote foreign exchange students. The foreign students are able to come and participate in American culture without being completely alienated. The culture programs at the school enable the other students to be able to relate to other cultures of the world and it makes them more accepting of other societies.
These forms of study are not made available in many schools in America. Many programs resemble these, but are not the same. Comparative religion courses are often biased to one religion or another. These courses should be less of a comparison and more of a presentation of facts about religion. This enables the student to take the facts, analyze them on his own and decide for himself which religion seems to be the best fit with his own particular worldview. The language classes are viewed as arbitrary requirements that will be forgotten as soon as graduation. They should be stressed more in an attempt to better understand the world. Not only should language be taught but also, the culture behind the language. The cultural aspect of learning a language reinforces the importance of the language. It makes it seem like the language is actually practical and useable.

Leave it to beaver response.

In response to comments I have recieved about the realistic aspects of my family vs. technology illustration. I think you may have missed my major point. The purpose of the story is not to idealize the era of "Leave it to Beaver." it is a critque of modern tecnology as it relates to the family. I realize that people have problems and that family problems did exist even in the days of our grandparents and parents. "Getting in touch with reality" requires a lot of reflection. To say that Dan beat Nancy every night and that she was "forced" to do manual labor all day long and clean her own oven is also an unrealistic statement. There may have been some families in which this occured, but it was not as prevalent as it is today. Take divorce rates for example. The current divorce rate is over 50%. In the days of our grandparents and parents, this figure was almost half that. When people start to only think about themselves, family core values take a hit. Selfishness has no room in a family. Nancy may have wanted to do these things, like care for her husband and family, because she doesn't only think of her own career goals only, she is thinking of her family, the people she loves. A family must work together in order to operate, and when they start to get selfish, the family will fall apart. And although, it cannot be completely attributed to the advancements of technology, it certainly hasn't made things better. If you read postman, you will see that he also, will give illustrations to support his points. And the symmantics of the story are not the main focus. You cannot discredit an illustration about a good family, just because some families weren't this way. One or two instances of disfunctional families can't be made into a majority. It has been said that my story was custom taylored to fit my point, but isn't that exactly what the story written to discredit mine is?

Hold the books, pass the Communism, please.

It seems like every week, my posts start out with “Last week in class, we discussed…” and I’m sick of starting them that way, so this time I will not.

Some things, I think just should not be done. Taking textbooks out of class is one of these things. I think that it is a terrible idea to remove books from the classroom solely because they have been deemed too biased. This is what the communists do. They remove books from the classrooms, because they are thought to contain objectionable material. This idea of censorship, once it gains a foothold, spreads like a virus. Gradually, the “objectionable content” is replaced with propaganda, and eventually the original text is lost, and the original bias destroyed. In its place, a new bias is created. Leaving the lesson up to the teacher is not acceptable. Teachers are not perfect. They must be held accountable for their teaching. What can hold a teacher more accountable than a reference? No textbooks equal no references, meaning the teacher can say anything he wants and the students will have to just sit and agree because they have no other option.

Some people will argue that they can weed out the fallacies and are able to see through deception, but is this possible? This seems feasible to our honors forum class, but we have to step back and view things from a broader scope. Of course the honors student will analyze what the teacher says, that’s why they are in the program, because they have an ability to think critically. The problem is that this group is only a couple hundred individuals. What about the other five-thousand or so students who may not know how to think critically, or don’t care to? They will absorb whatever the teacher says. This is a big problem. The teacher cannot be given this much influence over the class. The written word is one of the most important tools that humans have and to get rid of it would be a shameless travesty.

Another argument that was brought up was that teachers are not teaching interesting lessons anymore, not being creative. An example of a system that kept teachers thinking creatively at my high school was the auditing system. Randomly, the administration would sit in on a teacher’s class and rate them according to their lesson plans. This was very successful because it kept the teachers from getting boring and monotonous.

All things must come to an end eventually and today I am having a hard time concluding, so for now, this is the end of my discussion. Goodbye.