In this case, I do think the school's penalty was way too harsh. This was a program sponsored by the University, and there were students from other schools there. I have a few thoughts on the situation, first being that I don't think it was exactly fair that these students had their cases decided by professors instead of by students like they usually do it. However, I understand why it was done that way - they were out at sea and that process was not available. Second, I agree that there are only so many ways to say something, and the charge may have been a bit excessive. Third, I disagree with the University's decision to put the students ashore in a foreign country to fend for themselves. That's a bit much. I bet they were scared out of their minds.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
Essay #5
Okay group members (and whoever else is reading this), my essay isn't done yet, and I haven't organized my paragraphs. Some things will seem out of order, and if you have any ideas on how I could say something better, let me know. Please, tell me what you think! This papaer was written right after I worked my last shift at my mall job of seven years, and I felt kinda saturated while I was writing it. Happy reading, and thanks for your input.
Mall America
Most people go to the mall, get what they need, and leave; not returning until the next time they need a new pair of shoes or they read in the Sunday paper that Macy’s is having a big sale. These people don’t see the mall as recreational or fun, they just go because they need a specific product or service. Factor out this group of people, and you are left with a different type of population. These people who are still there, who are they? On the surface, there are shoppers, workers, and mallrats. Together, they belong to a culture that is widely unrecognized as a whole. Most people do not realize that there is such a thing as “mall culture,” or that it plays such a huge part in shaping us as a society.
Some might argue that there is no such thing as “mall culture,” but in the words of a teenage mall queen, “Whatever. There totally is.” I worked in the mall for ten years; three of which were spent managing a candy store and an “old-lady shoe store,” and seven of which were spent managing a “California Teen Lifestyle” retailer. One might think I am generalizing and limiting my focus to the younger crowd, but in my years of working at the mall, I have realized that the culture includes so much more than just the teenage “valley girls” with their miniskirts and cell phones, and the boys with their baggy pants and noses for trouble.
On the other hand, quite a few of my friends and family agree that mall culture is sweeping the nation. I spoke with some co-workers at “Company X,” and we came to the conclusion that not only is the mall a culture of its own, there are even smaller groups that make up sub-cultures within the mall. You might, for example, go to the mall and realize that the girl who helped you find an outfit to wear to your cousin’s Christmas party is the same girl who sold you your work shoes at Sears five months ago. As I worked at the mall year after year, I came to realize that there is sort of a hierarchy among the mall employees (expand on this).
There are many parts that make up this mall culture as a whole, ranging from young to old, rich to poor, and everywhere in between. Just like the United States, the mall is a melting pot: so many different types of people come to the mall, and while they are there, . There’s the trophy wife wandering around with a Frappuccino and an armful of shopping bags, the exasperated mother who drops her kids off at the toy store so she can do her shopping in peace, and the man picking out a gift for his wife at the jewelry store. Once school gets out, the mall is overrun with teenagers trying on clothes they have no money to buy, and filling their stomachs with sticky-sweet cinnamon rolls. And then there are the “mallrats,” who steal change out of the fountain in the middle of the mall and hang around the front entrance after the merchants have security chase them out. Last, but certainly not least, are the mall employees who are the oil of the shopping machine.
I have watched some of the same kids grow into teenagers, all the time being shaped by the things they see at the mall. (not even sure I'm going to deep this idea, put it somewhere else, or just trash it completely)
In our culture, the mall is a symbol of prosperity, and so if you go to the mall and leave with armfuls of shopping bags filled with goodies, then you must be prosperous. I mean, you can afford all the stuff you bought, right? (I think this is an important angle, I just didn't have time to type any more. Let me know what you think.)
Maybe the next time you go to the mall, you will read between the lines and become aware of the small parts that make up the mall culture. Maybe you won’t, and you still think there is no such thing. Are you denying it because you just don’t see it, or is it because you are afraid to admit you are a part of it? I didn’t see it at all before I worked there, and now ten years later I have to admit, I am a part of it. (not finished yet)
Lisa Dunbar
Lauren Servais
Engl 1A
15 Nov 2008
Lauren Servais
Engl 1A
15 Nov 2008
Mall America
Most people go to the mall, get what they need, and leave; not returning until the next time they need a new pair of shoes or they read in the Sunday paper that Macy’s is having a big sale. These people don’t see the mall as recreational or fun, they just go because they need a specific product or service. Factor out this group of people, and you are left with a different type of population. These people who are still there, who are they? On the surface, there are shoppers, workers, and mallrats. Together, they belong to a culture that is widely unrecognized as a whole. Most people do not realize that there is such a thing as “mall culture,” or that it plays such a huge part in shaping us as a society.
Some might argue that there is no such thing as “mall culture,” but in the words of a teenage mall queen, “Whatever. There totally is.” I worked in the mall for ten years; three of which were spent managing a candy store and an “old-lady shoe store,” and seven of which were spent managing a “California Teen Lifestyle” retailer. One might think I am generalizing and limiting my focus to the younger crowd, but in my years of working at the mall, I have realized that the culture includes so much more than just the teenage “valley girls” with their miniskirts and cell phones, and the boys with their baggy pants and noses for trouble.
On the other hand, quite a few of my friends and family agree that mall culture is sweeping the nation. I spoke with some co-workers at “Company X,” and we came to the conclusion that not only is the mall a culture of its own, there are even smaller groups that make up sub-cultures within the mall. You might, for example, go to the mall and realize that the girl who helped you find an outfit to wear to your cousin’s Christmas party is the same girl who sold you your work shoes at Sears five months ago. As I worked at the mall year after year, I came to realize that there is sort of a hierarchy among the mall employees (expand on this).
There are many parts that make up this mall culture as a whole, ranging from young to old, rich to poor, and everywhere in between. Just like the United States, the mall is a melting pot: so many different types of people come to the mall, and while they are there, . There’s the trophy wife wandering around with a Frappuccino and an armful of shopping bags, the exasperated mother who drops her kids off at the toy store so she can do her shopping in peace, and the man picking out a gift for his wife at the jewelry store. Once school gets out, the mall is overrun with teenagers trying on clothes they have no money to buy, and filling their stomachs with sticky-sweet cinnamon rolls. And then there are the “mallrats,” who steal change out of the fountain in the middle of the mall and hang around the front entrance after the merchants have security chase them out. Last, but certainly not least, are the mall employees who are the oil of the shopping machine.
I have watched some of the same kids grow into teenagers, all the time being shaped by the things they see at the mall. (not even sure I'm going to deep this idea, put it somewhere else, or just trash it completely)
In our culture, the mall is a symbol of prosperity, and so if you go to the mall and leave with armfuls of shopping bags filled with goodies, then you must be prosperous. I mean, you can afford all the stuff you bought, right? (I think this is an important angle, I just didn't have time to type any more. Let me know what you think.)
Maybe the next time you go to the mall, you will read between the lines and become aware of the small parts that make up the mall culture. Maybe you won’t, and you still think there is no such thing. Are you denying it because you just don’t see it, or is it because you are afraid to admit you are a part of it? I didn’t see it at all before I worked there, and now ten years later I have to admit, I am a part of it. (not finished yet)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
What role does the media play in teaching values?
I feel that the media has a huge role in teaching values, specifically the "male and female ideal" values that we have been discussing in class. When I was growing up, we didn't have cable TV at home, so we really didn't watch anything other than the evening news, or PBS programs. When I was young, I experienced little or none of the pressures that I do now to look a certain way. I never really wanted to look like Barbie because I just couldn't imagine how she walked around on her tippy-toes all the time, but boy does she project an image. I see how so many little girls are bombarded with images to live up to, and I can't believe they don't fold under pressure in higher numbers. I had Punky Brewster, who looked like a pretty average little girl, and now there's Miley Cyrus, who is featured on Teen Vogue's "10 Best Dressed" list for September 2008, made to look as much like a grown-up as possible. http://www.teenvogue.com/style/bestdressed/topten?slide=3
I haven't even gotten started on the boys yet! I just googled that magazine, MH-18, and there is a picture of a totally ripped guy who doesn't even look like a teenager! The headlines include, "Drink This, Get Stronger," and "Get the Girl."
Tell me, after you're done watching High School Musical that the media doesn't play a role in teaching values.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Response to Election Results
This was an historic election, as we all know. I am left feeling hopeful, yet at the same time, a bit disenchanted. I am absolutely thrilled that we elected Barack Obama to be our President. I am hopeful that he will energize us as a nation, encourage us, and engage the young population. I feel that President Bush helped create such a negative image of America, and Obama has the power to help us shed that image. I was so amazed at the turnout of young voters. I work at Starbucks, and we gave away free cups of coffee to people who voted yesterday. There was a constant stream of people coming in our door, excited to have voted, really feeling like they were a part of something, and that their vote counted. I have never seen so many young people this engaged in an election...A woman brought her 18-year-old daughter in right after voting, and she was so excited to have voted for the first time in her life; a 17-year-old boy came in wearing buttons showing support for his candidates, and I asked him if he had voted. When he said he wasn't old enough yet, I gave him a cup of coffee anyway. It felt good for me to go out and vote, then encourage others to do the same.
I am so sad that proposition 8 was passed. I believe that a basic human right was taken away from many people. I really thought that one would lose by a landslide. At the same time, we approved proposition 2, which, for someone such as myself, who was a strict vegetarian for the last 10 years, is great. But what does it say about us when we are willing to give farm animals more basic rights than human couples in love?
I kinda had to cut that off so I could head to class, so it is a little bit brief...but I feel it gets the general idea across.
I am so sad that proposition 8 was passed. I believe that a basic human right was taken away from many people. I really thought that one would lose by a landslide. At the same time, we approved proposition 2, which, for someone such as myself, who was a strict vegetarian for the last 10 years, is great. But what does it say about us when we are willing to give farm animals more basic rights than human couples in love?
I kinda had to cut that off so I could head to class, so it is a little bit brief...but I feel it gets the general idea across.
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