Ellen DeGeneres: This Is How We Live

In Ellen Degeneres' article, This Is How We Live, Ellen put a humorous spin on her viewpoint that technology is hurting us. She mentions that we have made advancements of things that didn't need advancing like, yogurt and car windows. But she contradicts herself in saying that things like CD packages, and toilet paper dispensers need to be improved. I think Ellen is right in a lot of ways, but I believe she is missing the larger picture. If you just look at the things like Go-Gurt, and those moving walkways in airports, then our technological advancements do seem kind of trivial. But when you look at the bigger picture and see all of the medical advancements and life-saving tools we've invented, it shows that are advancements are very beneficial. If anything I think Go-Gurt was the best invention during my childhood. No longer would I have to lug around a spoon and container of yogurt to school. The worst was when we would run out of plastic spoons and my mom would send me with one of our coveted metal spoons, and if I left that spoon at school you could kiss my yogurt rights goodbye. It's the simple inventions like Go-Gurt that have a very big impact on every day life. Those moving walkways in airports do seem to be a useless tool only to promote laziness amongst their visitors. But to an elderly person carrying a heavy suitcase, that walkway means the world to them. There's more to technology than what meets the eye. Technology's importance is purely opinionated. What may be important to you may not be important to me, and vice versa. So although I believe Ellen is very humorous in her claims, and I chuckled more than a few times, I believe there is a larger picture that she is missing in this article.

Entertainment

The 3 Assumptions:

I do not believe entertainment is "just for fun," entertainment is more in depth than that. We look towards entertainment to fill a certain void in our lives, whether it's laughter, education, etc. "Just for fun" is a simple definition that doesn't have any support. Entertainment has a deeper value. I believe entertainment is a fusion between a reflection of culture and a personal choice. I do believe that entertainment is fun, but it also serves as a reflection of ourselves. Take the show Full House for example, it recreates the lives of what a typical American household looks like. It shows the families high points and low points and all of the laughter in between. The show may not be 100% all of the time, but the main reason it is such a popular show is because most people can relate it to their family. Also saying that entertainment is a personal choice is very true. Most people can determine what entertainment they want to expose themselves to. I personally don't watch the show Duck Dynasty. I don't have anything against the characters, I just don't see the entertainment value of watching people drive trucks through the mud for 60 minutes. That's my personal choice. We all make these choices daily, whether we watch that TV show or not, or whether we listen to a certain radio station. Entertainment is around us 24/7 and it's only human nature that we filter out the ones that are not particularly interesting to us.

Mirasol's Observation

My practice observation took place at a small cafe on Route 6 in Dartmouth, MA called Mirasol's. Mirasol's has become more popular over the past few years attracting a lot of young people. I walked into the cafe and grabbed myself a Chippi (Mirasol's version of an iced coffee) and sat in the corner watching people walk in and out. I tried to look as least creepy as I possibly could. It didn't take long to understand the overall culture of Mirasol's. Above the doorway there was a freaky looking statue of the head of a horse. While across the room (where I sat) there were two leather chairs that were right next to a rustic bench with red throw pillows. The other side of the room had the same set up except the chair had an interesting quilt on it, the quilt looked as if it were from a Latin country. The weirdest part of the whole cafe was the bathroom. There was a bar stool randomly placed in the corner and above the toilet was a 1960's movie poster. As I looked at the poster I thought to myself "this is a hipster's heaven."

The people who came to the cafe only confirmed my belief that this is a hipster's paradise. I saw about 400 different types of fedoras and enough guys with mustaches to make Steve Harvey blush. Most people that came, came in groups of two or more. They all grabbed their Chippis and sat at either a table or on one of the multiple couches. The only people that bought their Chippis and left immediately were people that came by themselves. People that came by themselves and decided to stay spent most of their time on their laptops doing what seemed to be homework, which isn't surprising considering Mirasol's is only a mile from UMass Dartmouth. The other people who came alone decided to sit in the corner and creepily take notes about everyone that passed them, oh wait that was just me.

The interactions between groups was minimal. Just like any other restaurant everyone stayed with their group and talked to them and them only. There were three guys sitting on the bench next to me who were having an in depth conversation about how the public needs to realize the Illuminati's importance (not an uncommon hipster topic). A little further away there was a girl and a guy enjoying their wraps, I think they were on date. At the table across from them it looked as if a woman was interviewing a younger girl, possibly for a job opening. Other than that most people just enjoyed their Chippi, and if they're smart one of Mirasol's amazing sandwiches, and then made their way to the exit.

Living in Tribes

Analysis:

David Berreby's account of campus traditions seems to be factual but it's also misleading. I agree that these traditions give us a sense of community and allow us to fit in more and meet people that are more like us, but I do not believe that the consequences are as drastic as he makes them out to be. College students are more accepting than Berreby thinks. We understand each others differences and we respect that. Just because one of my friends goes to UMass and another to Stonehill doesn't mean they're better than me, and it doesn't mean I'm better than them. The old school image of schools being pinned against each other is out dated and usually only displayed through sporting events. I believe these traditions are used mostly as ice-breakers, to get students into the flow of college life and to expose them to all of their opportunities. Today most college kids just want to get through their classes and go home, and pray they don't have to take out any more loans. We're not consumed with school rankings and last night's box score, we just want to sleep and survive tomorrow's 8am. I do not see it as an "us v.s. them" society I see it more as an "us with them" society, one where we're all in this together.

Collage Reflection

As I wrapped up making my collage a lot of different memories ran through my head. All of the reasons of why these people mean so much to me were solidified as I reflected on the great times we've had. I began by choosing photos of my family, and I was soon reminded of why they're the most important influence in my life. Through my brightest days and my darkest hours they have been there for me and no collage, not even an act of God, could show how much I truly appreciate them. 

Next I chose photos of my friends. My friends are what keep me moving everyday. They make me laugh , they make me smile, and they pick up the pieces when it feels as if my life is in shambles. Without them I'm not sure where I would be today, they've guided me through the most turbulent times of my life, and they've brought me the greatest memories. 

And then there's me. Not to sound narcissistic or arrogant, but without me the story of my life could not be told. My love for golf brought me many friends, friends that I can rely on. My passion for politics has enabled me to meet many great leaders like, Governor Deval Patrick, Lt. Governor Timothy Murray, Senator Ed Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vice President Biden and many more. This passion brought me to become Class President, it brought me to President Obama's Inauguration, and ultimately the opportunity to convey my message and my dream for the 21st century on the Senate floor of the State House. 

No of this would have been made possible if it were not for my family. I like to use the analogy of my life being like a house. The second floor (Me and my interests) is the sanctuary, where you go to rest and reflect, it's where you're at peace. The first floor (Friends) is where the fun is, it's where the sleepovers happen and the video games are played. Lastly the foundation (Family), it's what holds everything up and allows the fun and the laughter to be possible. A storm may break the windows and tear down the walls on the first and second floor, but no matter what the foundation will always be there, standing tall against any adversary. 

Emily White, High School's Secret Life

Analysis:

It's a sad fact that the issues talked about in Emily White's, High School's Secret Life, plague many schools around the country. Fortunately enough the high school I attended was not like the one described in the article. But it is easy to see how something as simple as lunch can make an enormous impact on a person's life and alter their self-esteem. As described in the article their is a girl who has many friends but her fate soon changes when she is assigned second lunch and all of her friends are assigned third lunch. The girl who was once seen as normal and fairly popular was now being displayed as an outcast and a loner, just because she was left alone in second lunch. How could something so minuscule and harmless as school lunch dramatically change how people look at her, and more importantly how she looks at herself? It is these unnoticeable and nearly impossible to predict instances which push many teenagers into a depression, and push others to the brink of suicide. It is not easy to find a solution to this problem but it is really easy to identify what causes it. The stigma of being popular and adhering to the strict code of the status quo is what drives most teenagers to dress a certain way and act in a certain manner. If you ask any teenager today what they would do for a hundred dollars they will instantly list off various different tasks, if you ask them what they would do for one dollar their list magically vanishes. The sad part is we treat people just the same way, we bow to the feet of those who seem superior, while also writing off those who we look down on, treating them as if they were only worth a dollar.