Outside Ourselves.

Something I find extremely important to have knowledge about and an interest in is cultural education. Currently, many societies, nations and ethnicities are extremely ignorant about cultures other than their own. I am not just pointing fingers at Americans by any means, because cultural ignorance is a disease that plagues the entire world. It is not just a matter of Americans assuming that people from South America live in tree houses in the jungle or that people from Africa live in huts or that all Asians are Chinese and everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist. The press and the news never cover the rampant hatred that streams from other nations and cultures external to the United States. Israel is constantly under threat from Iran because of the religious and cultural differences, as well and economic disparity. The nation of Sudan has been torn apart and turned into a war zone in the region of Darfur, where the fighting is between the Muslims and the Black Africans, over issues of religion and other cultural factors. Cultural education is not just something that is lacking within the minds of the people of the United States, in fact, I find our country to be quite a tolerant one. We mostly accept people who sexually identify as homosexual, whereas in other nations they would be a taboo, or even worse, criminals needing to be executed. We take time to be politically correct and avoid offending various cultural groups. However, avoiding committing an offense and actually becoming enlightened on a culture different than our own are two different things. We should learn about other cultures so we can avoid ignorance, and so we can understand the workings of the world in its entirety. You cannot have the United States without Britain, and you cannot have South America without Brazil, etc. All parts of countries and cultures are important; they contribute to a much greater whole. If people accept ignorance as their main method of dealing with the differences we face in society, then feuds and hatred will always continue, because misunderstanding something causes fear, and fear spawns the hatred that fuels genocides and cultural clashes.

An F for Failure or for Fabulous????

The education system that is currently the norm in America is failing. And it will continue to fail as it continues to be not only accepted, but watered down more as time passes and students of other nations fight to rise up. This was the general theme of the pieces "Blame the Student" and "2 Million Minutes." Both were quite enlightening as well as straightforward and outright true. I agree completely with the content of both of these compositions. Students in an American public high school are set up so that failure will be avoided at all costs, no matter if the student actually tries or not. In China and India, the competition is much more fierce, the standards much more high. And students from these countries fight many more issues external to school work, but they never let it get in the way as many American students do. Poverty and disease, as well as government problems, plague almost all parts of these countries. Even the poorest people in America are so well off compared to the poor in these regions. In America, there is no emphasis placed on mathematics and science compared to students in Asian countries. There are exceptions, American students who do try extremely hard and over achieve by the standard here, and they are typically put in special honors classes and given endless opportunities to advance their personal education and knowledge. In China and India, every child studies the same amount, and the same amount is a lot. Even if one student were to be exceptionally brighter than the majority of the rest, it is likely his/her school would not have the resources or connections to get them into special programs to meet their needs. American students are not bad people, but they have been taught that mediocrity is not only "o.k." in fact, it's something to strive for, because in our system you can receive "As" with mediocre effort. The lack of motivation will ultimately hurt American students in the long run, and it is likely that it will lead us into the downfall as a super power nation, and it will pave the way for the students in China and India who devote a majority of their time to studying to rise to the top and rule the world.

Something of the milieu that is my thoughts

Today, I dropped Chemistry X after much debating, frustration and meeting with school counselors. I definitely feel inadequate and unintelligent. Even though, rationally, I realize this is not in fact the case, I have never felt so confused by a subject before in my life. Usually I can collect myself enough to fudge my way through anything and at least pull off an average grade, and being exposed to the content of that class was like being thrown in the middle of 494 in rush hour in a wheelchair. I really hope this is the best decision for me, and that I am not just giving up, something I would not be proud of. I just could not handle the stress that class brought upon me. Tonight I really wanted to just stay home and stew in my own self pity, but fortunately my friend Jon convinced me to go out, and it was a good decision. We went to Uptown and the Electric Fetus, which is an epic record store. I bought the 500 Days of Summer Soundtrack (an awesome indie movie you need to see) and the soundtrack to Accepted. We went to dinner at Pizza Biga, and it was delicious to say the least. The margherita sauce on my pizza was superb, with the perfect amount of basil sprinkled on top. Stephen ordered a weird pizza with egg on it. Open topic blog was the instructions for this assignment... Uhm... That is complicated and very broad.

Music. It's importance and international fame. Music is something we can all relate to, enjoy, and recognize. All cultures share some form of music. The music can speak where words would fail. Without music, many people would probably become very dysfunctional citizens of society, unable to express their innermost thoughts through the beats and rhythmns that music provides to us.

Music provides a mode of connection, a way of building relationships. It can be attending concerts with friends, blasting the radio and singing in the car or sharing a specific "song" with a special someone. It gives people similarities in regards to taste, and something to discuss and converse about.

Music heals. It provides those who are hurting with assurance that they are not alone. It provides those who are missing someone with an escape from the haunting thoughts. Music naturally boosts our mood and helps free us from our problems, worries and stresses.

Music is an outlet for some, for others it's an enjoyable indulgence, and for certain folks it's a way of life. Disreguarding the magnitude of its impact, it is impossible to argue that music does not impact someone's life in some way. Like heartbeats, it's a trait that all humans possess, almost like a gene that is not only passed down through families, but across cultural lines, social barriers and economic obstacles, for all people to participate in and belong to.


Valerie Streif

Identified through Language

Without language, society as a whole and smaller divisions of culture wouldn't have developed into unique and individual identities. Communication helps people develop and relate to others, so it also helps them form their personal cultures within the subdivisions of our civilization. Language is an important tool to use to dig into a certain culture; if you know the language, you can begin to fully immerse yourself in the culture.
Take English for example. American English and British English are two completely different languages, in terms of spelling of certain words, slang and other terminology. Within English are many subdivisions as well, with slang and different terminology being used within different geographical regions. You can identify a person from the south by their language, they might use the word "coke" for soda, so when you hand them a coca-cola they actually wanted a sprite.
Language can also identify the most inner-workings of individual human beings. The way people phrase things, state their opinions and express their feelings reveals a lot about them as a person. Someone who criticizes others with harsh words may not feel very well about themselves. Others who use a sophisticated tongue may be especially educated or feel the need to fake intelligence. Overall, the language people use helps them define who they are. And who they are helps determine their language, in an ongoing cycle. Language is pliable, it can evolve to match the changes of the individual, it can reshape and reform itself. Language helps people define themselves, and it helps society develop into a variation of culture and unique individual components.

Purely Opinion

So if I were the type to pick favorites, and my choices were either George Orwell's "Why I Write" or the excerpts by Joan Didion, I would definitely go with the original Orwell piece. Not because I consider myself a slave to pure originality, but because the essay that he wrote, although much longer, was a much more enjoyable read. You definitely do not get to know Joan like you do George, who starts his montage at the beginning of his life really, and you have the priviledge of watching it unfold, whilest with Joan Didion's version, it all just sort of starts and ends in the same place. She also does not place the same amount of emphasis on writers and what it means to be a writer, whereas Orwell explicitly lists and explains traits of writers and why certain people are driven to write and where the passion for writing comes from. You learn what a writer is through Orwell. You learn their desires, psychology and basic personalities all throughout his essay.

Well let's start today tomorrow then.

It's 3:29. I wish that I could figure out how this thing called a moodle page works because I think I have homework that I am supposed to get off of it, but I can't figure it out. This is not good because I work 11-9pm tomorrow, an ungodly amount of hours in one sitting but I'll take what I can get. Diet pepsi for the win at the moment. The humidity today reminds me of Florida and that makes me really want to not be here and attending school and instead sitting on the beach watching the waves crash in. Longing for them to take me with them out to sea. Dramatic, but at times a nice thought, until the unpleasant realization that drowning would take place sets in.

Well if life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, but when life deprives you of homework... well I guess I'll just go clean out my car instead.

The Beginning

I ponder what to write here. Time passes. This class is definitely quite the mix of people, and hopefully it will result in something enlightening. I have faith and I would bet on that. As for the teacher, I am not really sure if she is Mrs. Cardona or Ms. Vernes. The first day I was not sure if she had become married or gotten a divorce because she was not wearing a ring and referred to it as a name change, but the "Mrs." allowed me to catch on. *sigh* only the third day and I am already missing Summer. I didn't accomplish or do much this Summer but it is the freedom that I long to have again. Since I can't control the seasons or schedule, might as well focus on what I can do in my current situation.

So, in other words, make some goals.

1. Improve my writing so I can feel confident when composing essays for college applications as well as my Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) essay for next year at the University of Minnesota.

2. Improve my writing so that it becomes more enjoyable to read, even if it happens to be a research paper of all seriousness.

3. Learn 117 new vocabulary words. Why 117? Well why not?

4. Uncover new ways to express my inner thoughts that dwell deep within my mind, buried under a mass of material and shallow obstacles.