True Enough Reflection

I can already tell that I am going to enjoy this book. Unlike its predecessor 1984, this book seems normal from the start. The author has presented the case of how one group essentially destroyed John Kerry's chance for becoming president through utilizing the media as a destructive tool. I followed that election relatively closely, and had heard that John Kerry's military record was in question, but I had no idea that there was a single force behind it that was trying to destroy him. The book is an enjoyable read thus far and I'm very interested to see how it progresses. This book reminded me that our nations politics is still severely flawed. Politics is a dirty game, and it is shameful when the truth gets twisted for personal gain. This book seems to be more of a research book than one with a defined plot, but the ideas are still very interesting and relevant to our modern politics.

Digital Bullying, A Thin Line Between Harmless and Harmful

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/tech/web/online-bullying-poll/index.html?hpt=us_t4- READ THIS

As I was casually strolling the CNN website I cam across this article that I feel is very relevant to our age group. To summarize the articles says that more than half of teens and young adults have been harassed online.

"That's up from 50 percent in a similar 2009 survey.Some of the most common forms of harassment include posting something online that's not true, writing things online that are "mean" and sharing texts or other messages that were meant to stay private, according to the results."


1 out of every 3 students also said they had partaken in the act of "sexting" which is basically sending and receiving lewd texts and possibly nude images. Personally I dont see the issue of sexting as harmful as that of online bullying but it is a growing issue that a lot of parents are worried about.


MTV has started a campaign called "A Thin Line" to help address the issues of online bullying. They explain the campaign as one that " is built on the understanding that there's a 'thin line' between what may begin as a harmless joke and something that could end up having a serious impact on you or someone else," MTV writes on the campaign's website. "We know no generation has ever had to deal with this, so we want to partner with you to help figure it out." 


As someone who had suffered minor bullying in my middle school days I know what it feels like to be targeted online. It is a very hurtful feeling and one that can destroy ones confidence and self-esteem. Everyone handles bullying differently and we need to wake up and realize that sometimes a joke might be more than just a joke to someone else.

Change in Power?

The New England Patriots domination of the Buffalo Bills ended today as the Bills mounted a 21 point comeback to defeat the Patriots 34-31 on earlier today in Buffalo. Tom Brady threw an uncharacteristic four interceptions! in the loss. Coming into this contest both teams were undefeated and this win for Buffalo might be very important later in the season. Teams that were perennial losers, such as the Bills, the Redskins, the Lions seem to have a new level of swagger in the early part of the season. Is this just early luck or are these teams for real. Only time will tell, but so far these teams are shaking up the power structure of the NFL.

1984 Paper

Is Big Brother Still Watching?

At the conclusion of 1984 I am very pleased that I took the time to actually read the whole book, instead of just skimming it like I sometimes do. The themes in this book will always be valuable to humans as they pertain to different aspects of the human nature. In this book Orwell explores, lust, fear, power, language (in the public sphere!), history and other relevant themes to today’s society. There were many moments in the book when my jaw dropped in awe of the society portrayed, especially the moments when the “child heroes” would turn someone in for being different or when people would suddenly disappear and have their records “vaporized.” As the plot progressed the book became very hard to put down at times. Throughout the novel I was hoping that the Brotherhood or some form of resistance would arise, and that Big Brother would be destroyed; however this never came to fruition. The masses never revolted or inquired about why most of what Big Brother said didn’t make sense, and the main reason for their accepting whatever they were told is fear. Fear makes humans do irrational things. Fear limits our ability to reason and to fulfill our potential. Another component that comes out of fear is that of brainwashing. Ingsoc and Big Brother worked together to first place fear in the masses then systematically brainwash them till they could not think for themselves.

The people’s submission to Big Brother for fear of being killed or tortured made me take a look at how fear affects daily life. Everyone has fears and it affects all their interactions to varying degrees.  In the case of Winston he was never able to overcome his greatest fear and in the end he submits to the will of Big Brother.

“But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” (308)

The ability of fear to completely change the thought process of someone is one that scares me. I have some fears that if I was faced to deal with immediately I would probably submit to whatever was being asked, and I’m sure everyone has their “Room 101”, yet at what point is facing that fear better than becoming a mindless pawn? The truth is there is no universal answer, and I am glad and hope I will never have to live in a society like that of 1984.

Some other themes that I think our class should pay special attention to, are language and technology. As our seminar is all about language it was interesting to explore a world in which the ability to express oneself would be severely limited. The systematic destruction of language would not only diminish the ability of people to grow intellectually, but it would destroy the potential of future generations. The next theme that is very relevant to not only our class but to modern society is the use of technology. The world of 1984 in which telescreens and microphones are strategically placed to monitor the masses is not far fetched. We have street cameras on basically every street, we can have our phone calls monitored by the government, and the Internet is never completely private or confidential as everything can be hacked into. Although there are some parallels I don’t think we have too much to worry about; at least for now.

To conclude, 1984 was a pleasant surprise and reading it was a lot more enjoyable than I thought. I had many laughs at the awkward moments and cringed at some parts. The variety of themes and questions that arise from this book could be discussed for pages on end. I believe the reason that this book is still so widely acclaimed is not only because it is entertaining as a story, but because it is a book that analyzes human nature, emotion and intellect, and that is what makes it appealing and a classic. 

NFL Week 1 News

The opening week of the NFL contained many exciting storylines. Some teams seem to have risen to prominence, others seem to have lost some steam, and some capable rookies are looking to make an impact for their team this year. In terms of disciplinary action against players the only event in which the NFL took action was in fining Green Bay Corner back Charles Woodson for a punch he threw in the third quarter against Tight End David Thomas of the Saints in the season opener. According to the new NFL rules Woodson should have been immediately ejected, but luckily for him he only received a standard 15-yard penalty. Woodson said after the game

“Yeah, I threw a punch," he said. "Just got frustrated, the guy was holding me a little longer than I wanted. Nothing was said about it, referee-wise; quick enough, and I reacted. It is what it is, I guess."

As Woodson expected the NFL dished out a fine of 10,000 dollars for his disorderly conduct. Woodson also stated that after the incident he expected the fine. The commissioner has these fines in place so that the athletes will remember that the media and adoring fans of all ages watch their conduct on and off the field. Incidents happen, players sometimes lose their temper in the heat of the battle, but the NFL wants to maintain a positive image so next time a player gets frustrated hopefully the threat of a fine will help keep their emotions in check.

Another issue in the NFL was concern over the moving of the kickoff from the 30-yard line up to the 35-yard line, and if that would take away the effectiveness of the kickoff in the game plan. Although there were many more touchbacks than at this point last season, there were still many exciting kickoff returns and even some touchdowns. I’m curious to see how that rule affects the outcome of games as the season progresses.

1984 Section 1 Reflection

Initially I was skeptical about  if I would enjoy this book but after reading the first 10 pages or so I quickly became less worried. From the first section I have seen that knowledge is power and freedom is essential to keep us from becoming mindless and ignorant. The whole backward society with Big Brother ruling and everyone looking to catch someone being dishonest to the party is not unlike the times of Hitler and Mao. In those regimes people were made to believe that the men and party in power were always right and anyone who questioned them had to be "vaporized."  Although I have discovered many interesting themes in the first section the one that I think is most relevant to our class is that of the power of language. On Pages 53-54 Syme says 


"Dont you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought crime literally impossible, because there will be no words  in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten." 


The importance of language to express oneself, to motivate, to destroy, etc have been paramount in the world history. Although many of the other measures that Big Brother uses to control the populace are terrible, the destruction of language would be the most disruptive in the long-run. If people have no way of expressing themselves then they will remain aloof and ignorant to the fact that they are exploited, as is the case with the proles. Im looking forward to how the plot develops and what other themes and ideas we will discuss.

The NFL

As a sports ambassador the sport I will choose to focus on is the NFL, specifically the ongoing debate about player safety and how the new rules of the collective bargaining agreement will affect the play of this season. As the season progresses I will not only discuss scores of exciting games, but their implications for the League. I will also discuss any on-field and off related fines and player relationships with the commissioner.

I will follow espn on Tv and on the net. I will also follow NFL.com and also various sports analysts.

4. Given Farmer's extreme empathy, can a normal individual replicate what he did? 


I believe that a "normal" individual posses the ability to replicate what he did, however very few people are willing to sacrifice in the way that Paul did. Paul sacrifices time with his friends and family in the States to travel to some of the worlds poorest areas to give free medical care. As a Duke and Harvard grad Paul could have made a lot of money working as a doctor in the States however he felt as if his talents were much needed elsewhere. On page 23 of "Mountains Beyond Mountains" Paul's bookkeeper says  "Honey, you are the hardest workin' broke man I know." All of Paul's colleagues and co-workers realize that his dedication to helping the poor goes above and beyond what is required. Farmer's experiences growing up and at Duke shaped his desire to help the poor in third world countries, especially Haiti. Is it possible for another person to feel the exact same way that Farmer felt about helping the poor? Yes it is possible, but the difficulties lie in how much one is willing to sacrifice to help others while reaping basically no luxuries or monetary benefits. I think a passage on pg 244 answers this question very appropriately, it states,


"Paul is a model of what should be done. He's not a model for how it has to be done. Let's celebrate him. Let's make sure people are inspired by him. But we cant say anybody should or could be just like him. Because if the poor have to wait for a lot of people like Paul to come along before they get good health care, they are totally fucked." 


Like Tracy Kidder stated in his talk Farmer was a family man, a regular joe even. Its just that his desire to help others surpassed his selfishness. So in my opinion, I believe everyone, if they can dig deep enough, possess the ability to do what he did.

After Class, Skimpy Equality (NY Times Article)

This article is one that is very relevant to all college students today. Both sides of the arguement hold merit, but my view is you are the only one who can let someone have power over you. If you are a female and you feel that the men are degrading women and rating them all in the name of fun, then dont go to the parties they throw because you will most likely not feel comfortable. One of the many things I found interesting was the fact that despite the email sent by the Duke frat throwing the party, many girls still went and showed up as asked to. In that instance no one is to blame but the girls. I dont think its fair to say that men are "in charge" just because they are the one's throwing the parties and social events. One interesting view is that of the male student who stated

"On the other hand, he asked, isn’t that a kind of female power? “A guy is more or less dependent on the women receiving his advances so if she is not interested, then tough luck for him,” Mr. Griffin said. “I think that in a way the girls relish that power. They can pick and say, ‘I’m not interested in that guy.’ ” 


I believe that statement is very accurate, everyone (boy or girl) wants to feel as if they are important or wield some power. Although the men ususally throw the events, the truth is they are not throwing parties to hang out wth other dudes and "chill"; they are looking to "fraternize" with women, and the women do wield the power because if they choose to reject the males advances there is nothing he can do about it except walk away in shame. Both sides share the blame, no one seems to complain until someone gets offended. I bet you if the Duke frat brothers had sent out the email without such lewd descriptions the girls still would have dressed that way. In short, college students have just accepted the reality of what todays college social life is. Is it good? Is it bad? who knows? but like I said earlier, only you can allow yourself to be degraded.