2010 Election

It seems like this coming election is not so much a decision as to who will be in office as who's ideas will take over.  I have read for weeks that the president's approval rating is going down, and tea party activists are protesting against big government and enormous spending.  In an article that I read recently, the author explained that one of the things that makes president Obama a president that people think of as an outsider is his presidential mentality.  Instead of the historical, "We are America and we are the best" mentality, Mr. Obama has come to the plate with the attitude that America is evil and needs to be fixed.

This idea came about in the 60s, when we realized that we were harming the environment, that racial discrimination was wrong, and that the Vietnam war was making America look bad.  Obama campaigned and won by convincing people and playing off the sentiment that what America and the Bush administration was doing was wrong, and that he would change it.  However, as the article describes, this does not make a good leader.  It makes a critic and pessimist, not a positive leader who can galvinize the country out of its recession and other problems.  He focuses on the problems more than solutions, and that is part of the problem!

After this election we will surely see some changes in policy and mentality, no matter what the outcome.

In class we were talking about civil liberties, and what the first amendment covers.  During this campaign season, a lot of opinions have been thrown around, including this one.  It is wonderful that in this country we can discuss the problems that we see in the government freely without fear of persecution.  This free expression of ideas makes our country better than others, because we collaborate!  300 million minds are a whole lot better than just 100.  Without all the discussions about opinions, America would not be the same.

The Uber-Post

Over the past few weeks, I have seen a change of theme in my blogging patterns.  In the beginning, I looked online for a news article that stimulated my interest and then wrote about it.  Over the next few weeks I transitioned to writing about the topics from class discussions, and then finding a news article pertinent to the subject.  In general, I like to write about recent technological finds and then debate about how they could possibly affect our society positively or negatively.  Also, I like to write about education and equal opportunity.  Since I have strong opinions about these things, they were easy to blog about.

I noticed that I tend to ask direct questions that I want my readers to answer, because I want them to focus on those specific points, and not be completely free to comment on anything I say.  These questions are usually big picture, for example, in my post, "Video Game Craze in Japan," I ask the question, "Which do you think is more important?  The person's life or the town?"  Here I am trying to direct the readers to ponder a specific problem, then give a thoughtful answer and why they think that.  This interests me more than a commentary on my topic.  I could improve by trying not to direct the readers to answer a specific question, but leave it more open ended, and also make my point in less words.  I see the lengthyness problem in Education Americana where it looks like a daunting block of text and even I am not interested in going through it.

As I reread my work, I was surprised about what caught my reader's attention by having the most hits and the most comments.  This was a post about video games and a hint at the theme of portrayals of women at once. I think that the subject of women's roles is worth re-visiting because a lot of females are in our class and they would probably have a lot to say about a topic like that.

In my blogging, I value the idea that the conversation doesn't have to end at the end of the class period, because I usually have an opinion that I haven't been able to put forth due to time limitations.  This shows in my blogging about topics from class discussions, like the heated debate on race and education.  I chose to continue the discussion on the blog.

Edited: 10/25

Modern Day Slavery?

The other day, we touched on modern day slavery that occurs in many different parts of the world.  These kinds of slavery may include sex slavery or economic slavery like in many industrial areas.  Economic slavery occurs in China, Jordan, and many other countries where the workers are paid very little and not regularly, work in poor conditions for long hours, and are threatened if they try to join a union or something to improve their condition.  However, this repulsive and highly unjust practice does not only occur overseas.  It also is prevalent in America.

It was very easy to find an example of this.  A few words in Google, and bam, out came an example.  Written only four years ago, this article explained that the only things necessary for a garment manufacturer are electricity, sewing machines, and a building.  After that, the immigrant population supply them with workers.  In the United States, while slaves used to be exploited, threatened, and beaten, now illegal immigrants are abused and forced to work in extreme working conditions while being paid next to nothing.

The rationalization?  These shops are all in the name of capitolism.  Why not use the source of labor?  What's wrong with bringing the prices down, no matter how we get the clothing?  The customer is always right.  This mentality permeates the industry so much that shoe manufacturers, clothing manufacturers, and food processors are treated horrifically all in the name of low prices.  How can this be stopped?  Is the government really necessary?  Will sending out more government officials help?  The article said that the shops can be moved very easily.  Will workers protesting help?  They will get fired and maybe killed.  I believe that the consumer can control the economy.  If the consumers don't buy items made in foreign countries in poor conditions for workers, the company will be forced to close or allow their workers better conditions.  This is one way, but it is not a definite fix?  Is there one?

What Colleges Look For

It is the question of junior year; "Do you know where you are going to college?"  And many of us find ourselves saying, "No, and I've told that to a million other people.  I just don't know!"  Others may have an idea, but unless an older sibling has paved the road, most kids don't have a clue about the college gig.  What classes and tests should I take?  How about extra curriculars?  Sign me up for twenty.  Every college will love me!  Can I say that I am 1/128th Sioux?  Will that help?

In answer to all these questions, I found a great website to help.  (It can be visited HERE.)  It dispelled many of my preconceived notions, like the idea that colleges only look at a test score or a racial group.  Reading the article, it became clear that colleges look at almost 20 different factors to determine who they will admit.
First on the list is the academic record.  Colleges look at test scores, your transcript, and any awards.  Also taken into account are personal factors, like recommendations, extra curriculars, and traits that you have written about.  The small factors are race, gender, geographic location, and legacy status.

Is this system fair?  Does it give equal representation to everyone?  I do not think so.  Clearly the academic record is important, and personal factors help keep well-rounded students.  The other factors that are taken into account I believe are possible unfair.  A student should not be admitted with race being the deciding factor, nor should women be given higher priority than men when women make up the majority of college students.  Area of origin should not be a factor at all, because colleges should be looking for the smartest person who can convince the board to admit them.  All of these smaller factors that may be a decision maker are things the students could not control.  Therefore, I don't think colleges should be able to use them to decide on admission.

Side note: the government puts a minimum requirement on colleges to admit a certain number of minority groups, including women as a minority.  Is this right in our day and age?

Recent find: While this kind of discrimination does happen at many colleges, some individuals, like Carl Cohen, discuss and lecture about the injustice in this approach to college admissions, and as early as 1998 gave a very thorough and persuasive lecture at the Heritage Foundation about this subject.  The text of it can be found HERE.
Edited on 10/25

Education Americana

While talking about the American education system in class today, I started to become frustrated.  We talked about how bad the system of quantifying learning and forcing achievement through the numbers destroys the necessities of a playful and happy childhood.  We talked about how achievement on standard tests is so worshiped that schools spend hundreds of hours preparing for the test without making sure the kids know the material,  comprehend it and ask questions if they aren't sure.  Mr. O'Connor described a "bulimic" education system, where kids take in the material, spit it back out, and forget all about it.  Some of these themes were described in the film, Race to Nowhere, which is promoting education system changes.  A link to the web site for the movie and to change opinions can be found HERE.  I have experienced these education problems by forgetting the same material for math tests that I learned for three years in a row.  I still don't know how to do a logarithm.

However, as nice as it is to bash the education system, and point out all its flaws, I think this form of argument is flawed.  I have always learned that unless I can suggest a better alternative, I shouldn't complain.  So I started thinking.  One of the problems I encountered was that the mentality of having to perform better than everyone else and out-compete them is ingrained into our society.  It scares me to think that if I just let go of everything and enjoyed myself, I may not be able to get a high paying job, or create a good life for my children.  I am also afraid of the damage I might inflict on my kids if I don't change my way of thinking a bit.  But the obstacles that an activist faces are gigantic!  We're talking about a whole overhaul of the way parents and kids envision the future and try to prepare themselves and others who depend on them.  This is as big of a change as Martin Luther King Jr. had to face to change people's minds about racism. 

So how can a person or even a whole school change things?  New Trier, even the whole North Shore, is only a drop in the bucket.  But as the Chinese proverb goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.  So clearly change is possible, if improbable.  One idea is to start programs at New Trier to educate parents, kids, and faculty about the best education models, and put ourselves on the right track.  After that, other schools in the North Shore may look at New Trier's model, and change a bit to help their students grow as people as well as be intelligent.  If this model follows, and the Chicago-land area is well know for its positive and well-rounded education, then this idea may show up in the national news.  Although it would take a lot of time, I believe change is possible, but only if the hearts of the students are devoted to it.