*-*Katwoman*-*

Inequality in Many Forms

Inequality is an increasing injustice on today’s society, men, woman, and children are constantly being judged by mainstream society, trying to fit that ever so impossible ‘mold’ that society has created. The author of the above text stated that “we want to be judged by who we are- our words and actions- not by mere appearances or social standing.” I believe that this quote reflects the perspectives of many people across the globe because we more often then not are being constantly judged by everyone around us in many different aspects of our lives.

Because of increasing inequalities within the world there has been a mold established to depict the right and wrong way to act, look, and live. For example in my school most of the girls are skinny and gorgeous girls who only wear name brand clothing, this posed a problem for me when I first moved here because I didn’t fit that underlying mold that has become so common here. For me, I was treated a bit unequal because I didn’t wear many name brand articles of clothing, and I wasn’t the gorgeous, fit girls that everyone else was. Eventually I got tired of trying to be this idyllic person that I’m not, and even if the world is unfair to me just because I don’t fit these characteristics I’m not about to change who I am just to live up to societies clonic standards. I personally feel that everyone is equal and everyone should be treated to same, just because a person has a different colour skin, or hair or maybe dresses differently doesn’t mean that we should judge them. What we should be judged on is our words and actions, just like the author previously mentioned stated.

The Giver by Lois Lowry, a book I have read for my English class, has a few examples of inequalities towards different people. In the book a young boy, Jonas, is treated different by the rest of his commune oriented community after being assigned a job of great importance and secrecy. The community members judge Jonas because, after he starts training with the man he will be succeeding, he becomes more inflecting on his personal problems and emotions rather than dealing with the problems of others. The pain and pride side of the story is that Jonas, who receives memories of that which is unknown to the rest of the community, receives so much pain in his new job that he considers running away so that the memories don’t leak into the minds of his fellow citizens. Despite his overwhelming feelings of detachment from the rest of the community, he wants to run away to spare them from ever having to come in contact with some of the harsh memories he’s received from his ‘boss’ the Giver. His pride in his community, and how safe and secure it is, is too large for him to want to risk hurting anyone so he goes through the pain and embarks on a quest to find a new home. Jonas is a great example of how we balance personal needs with responsibilities and demands required of citizens. Jonas takes as many memories he needs until he feels that he is well enough prepared to leave, satisfying his personal needs, yet what he does is for the community. He protects them because he feels its his responsibility and moral obligation to help them, no matter how unequal they have treated him.

The disaster in Haiti has sparked numerous heated debates over how much, if at all, we should help the Haitians. This has become an argument about what’s more important, helping people in Canada struggling though hardships, or should we do the globally responsible action and help these impoverished people. The demands of some Canadian citizens are more personal than global, they want help with their problems, like debt, poverty, and other complications creating problems in their lives and as a country our government should be responsible and help these people right? Well if we do spend our money on helping these people, what will happen of the poor, impoverished, homeless survivors on Haiti. If we wanted to practice equality we should help these people because, whether they are from our country or not, they are still people and they need our help. In my opinion the people struggling in Canada should be able to put their personal problems at bay for a little while because its a bit unfair to help those who are still fortunate enough to have food, or shelter, or clothes. Whereas the people in Haiti have been so negatively affected by the turbulent earthquakes that destroyed almost everything these people have. I believe that it would be more justice to help the people lower on the standard of living/quality of life totem pole as to speak that to help those higher up instead.

After re-reading what the author has said I do believe that I can comprehend his ideals more accurately. My comprehension of his opinion is that we are all equal, plain and simple, and the needs of others should be placed ahead of the needs of ones self. The well known quote “actions speak louder than words” can be evidence in his argument, we cannot judge others just by their appearances, you cannot truly develop a just statement about them until you watch them and talk with them. We cannot judge people by their imperfections when we, ourselves are imperfect. Equality doesn’t stop locally either, people across the globe need to be treated as if we were all the exact same, no bias, no inequality. If we are all equal then what makes the needs of one single person greater than those of another? Selflessness beats selfishness no matter where you live, or how different you are.

Friendship Survives

Friendship is a strong bond between two people that connects them in a very personal and intimate way.  Loyal friends can help you through the toughest situations as well as little contradictions that happen in your life, but when the contradictions are between you and your friend it can get a little more complicated.

Not only in today’s society are people everywhere battling with keeping friendships, but also in ancient times, like the time of the Roman empire, people also were conflicted with trying to keep a friendship with someone. Many friendships in history have gone through difficult struggles to remain connected. An example of this is the bond and friendship formed by two conspirators in the death of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., Brutus and Cassius.

After Cassius, Brutus and the other five conspirators finally prevail in their quest to kill Caesar, one of the conspirators, Antony, turns against them and he and Caesar’s nephew, Octavius, convince the Roman citizens to attack the other ‘butchers of ‘Ceasar’.  Realiing their fates Brutus and Cassius take an army of soldiers and run away, nearly escaping death. Throughout the tragic tale the two men form a very strong friendship, which gets put through numerous tests and trials. Most of which are clashes between Brutus’ stoic values and Cassius’ partial stoic, partial epicurian ways.

The story of Brutus and Cassius`s relationship is an example of the course focus question ‘what role does political, racial, and religious issues play in inequality?’ because in this play everyone fights over disputes over political and religious views. The main reason the eight conspirators kill Caesar is in fact a political issue, dealing with inequality. Caesar was in line for the crown of Rome but he is an epicurean and Brutus and Cassius are both stoics so they highly disapprove of his attempts to become king. This is where the inequality comes in, just like in modern government, the victor normally does everything their way so the minorities, or non-victors, get treated unfairly. In the case of Julius Caesar, epicureans are very free spirited party animals whereas stoics are focused, serious, and unemotional people. This would cause tremendous controversy for stoics if an epicurean ran Rome. These inequalities were unsolvable to the people in those times, and very difficult to solve even in today’s society.

This is why Cassius and Brutus have arguments, Brutus is a true stoic, embodying everything traditional stoics believe and Cassius is many stoic but he does have epicurean ideals, like his constant lying and partying. Because of their different levels of intensity about stoicism the two men have a constant strain on their relationship. Fortunately, as gruesome as the truth is, the killing of Caesar helped bond them and remind them afterwards that they need each other, this is how their friendship manages to survive amounting conflicts, battles and complications.

Gravel Video

Products we need to Buy:

Iced Tea (2 litre) – “beer” & “captain morgan”

Non- Alcoholic Coolers (4 pack) – “margaritas” & “drinks”

Mini umbrella’s optional (small pack) – for girly drinks

Stuff we need to Bring (from home):

Ice – for drinks & to compare rocks to

Cups (amount varies with who’s coming) – for drinks

Martini/Wine glass (about 3) – for girly drinks

Sugar – for edge of martini glass

Lime slices optional – for margarita’s

Stuff we need to Make:

Antigua flag

Bartender’s nametag

Stuff we need to Borrow from school:

Lab Coat – for scientist

Room – to transform into a bar

Tables – to make into the bar & for patrons to sit at

Chairs – two taller for couple to sit & a few normal for guests to sit on

Attire:

Scientist – lab coat, nice jeans, goggles, ponytail.

Bartender – nice jeans/ skirt, black shirt, name tag.

Couple – Girl- dress/ skirt, nice shirt, heels (kimmi flats )

- Boy – nice jeans/dress pants, dress shirt (pink!)

Bar Patrons – Casual (if steve, poncho)

Alcohol’s Persuasion

Many alcoholic beverage commercials try to persuade adolescents into thinking drinking is cool and will get you stuff, like money, vacations, and a good looking guy or girl. However many commercials can be pretty sexist, their commercials are mainly aimed at young guys. An example of this is the Captain Morgan commercials. There are two that mostly amuse me, but also offend me.

The one is the Captain Improve commercial, the plan of the four main guys is to dress as important people to get the women. The first guy goes as a bull fighter, the second a romance novel cover model, the third a doctor and the fourth guy has to stay as himself because there is four guys and only three girls. I find this advertisement amusing because of what these guys will do just to meet girls but I also get a bit offended at the same time. I take offense to the fact that they believe that these girls will only like them if they are doctors or models, but in reality not all girls are that shallow. The job, even though it is still a bit important, isn’t as compelling as the person’s personality. The other is the ‘Should be sick‘ commercial. In this one a woman calls her boyfriend to see how he’s feeling because he is at home sick instead of at her cousin’s wedding with her when actually he is at a bar with his friends. She accuses him of being at a bar and lying when he gets his buddies and all the people at the bar to pretend to be on different tv shows and commercials, as if he were flipping through channels on the tv at home. She eventually believes him and lets him ‘get some rest’. This commercial makes me laugh because of what people say but at the same time it convinces audiences that if you drink Captain Morgan and you are lying to someone then you are smart enough to think of a good excuse. This commercial shows people that not only is lying not a big deal but also that people, particularly woman, are gullible to the lies that people say. I also got offended when I took a closer look at some Captain Morgan commercials. In the ads it only shows men drinking the alcohol while the women are often drinking ‘fruity’ drinks like martini’s, cocktails, and daiquiris’. Woman drink rum too, not every woman only drinks long island iced teas.

However Captain Morgan does have a few funny and safety commercials, like the Pizza Guy ad. In this ad the two men go to a pizza restaurant and order a pizza delivery to their address. They get a ride home with the pizza delivery guy and grab the pizza from the man once they are inside, this commercial promotes safely by telling people to drink responsibly and always have a designated driver. I like this commercial because, even though it only has men in it, it doesn’t discriminate and it promotes safely.

I feel that because girls are generally taught to think things through and be the responsible ones, as made apparent by the toy industries attempts to give children houses, and baby doll toys to learn with, it would not be as easy to persuade them to buy that particular product. Boys, however, are generally the more outgoing and unafraid gender, unafraid of the effects alcohol has on the body. Guys are often more vulnerable when is comes to persuading, which makes them more compelled to buy products that have objects of lust, such as money, woman, cars, and vacations on the advertisements. When girls see gorgeous girls on the ads we don’t think much of it, but when guys see it they tend to watch the rest of the commercial, including the drinks name which then subliminally gets them to want that products in hopes that they will get that girl too.

Teenagers are more vulnerable to falling victim to  alcohol commercials because of the subliminary gender bias placed in their commercials. Since people  were young children they have been unwillingly, and unknowingly, taught to be either tough and manly, attracting gorgeous girls and wealthy possessions or be a caring, compassionate house wife. Because of these gender stereotypes when a young adult, and even adults, see a commercial they tend to relate the character to themselves and envision how much better their lives would be with that product. A common objectification that alcohol commercials use for males is that if you drink this product you will have gorgeous women, smart ideas and sometimes even get away with lying to others. Females are a little different, they are attracted to commercials that promote beauty, certain beers make you look more sophisticated and glamorous. Because of youth being subconsciously  taught these values when adults see a commercial that confirms these values they think that the commercials are right. The vulnerability is mainly due to the subconscious values underlying society.

Toys or Ploys?

The topic of gender inequality toy advertisements aimed at children is very angering for me. however, I feel very contradicted with this issue because we need ads in our society to publicize new products and show what latest technologies have been designed to make our lives better and sometimes funnier. If we didn’t have such ads society may never discover the newest technologies. But on the other hand, some new product ads are harming people more than helping them. Toy ads for young kids are a great example of this, most toy advertisements not only convince kids that they need something they don’t need, but they also stereotype and separate kids into genders. It seems like giving certain toys to certain children is a ploy to make them believe that they have to be just like the toy, whether that be a tall, skinny model like the Barbie doll or a strong, muscular man like G.I. Joe dolls.

The ‘ploy’ to in children’s toys are different with each gender though, girls are normally set to be the nurturing mother and housewife and boys are to be strong, emontionless heroes. Girls are show at a young age that they need to be 6′0, 39 inch chest, 19 inch waist, 33 inch hips and 100 pounds, dolls like Barbie create this unrealistic fantasy. Girls toys advertisements also involve more nurturing toys like, dolls, plush toys, realistic baby dolls, and of course toy houses complete with mini fridge, washing machine and other household components. These toys are supporting the believe that a woman’s place is her home, girls should be perfect housewives and stay home and take care our the house and children. These conceptions are vastly different from that of boys toys advertisements.

While girls get taught the more gentle life skills boys toy advertisements promote more violent and ‘manly’ toys such as transformers, hot wheels, and G.I. Joe. From a young age boys are inspired to be the less nurturing gender, which I find very sexist. Young boys also have unrealistic measurements to idolize, 55 inch chest with 27 inch biceps, measurements which not all can reach. The toys marketed to them are all about fast cars, big muscles, and power. Boys growing up with toys that subcontiously teach these values tend to develope traits in which they strive to have and be all of those characteristics. This ploy is to make boys turn into strong men who do all the ‘hard’ work and leave such futile chores like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children to the women.

This subject reminds me of the question How does being a member of a particular group affect your identity or sense of self because most toy advertisements are just simple ploys to separate kids by their gender, thats why boys and girls get shown different toys, in hopes to distinguish the different roles in which men and women have in society. When children are very young they don’t know the difference between ‘girls toys’ and ‘boys toys’ which is the way it should be. Saying that only girls should play with dolls and only boys can play with cars is discriminatory towards the opposite gender. Toys are toys there shouldn’t be a gender inequality when it comes to a toy, if a girl wants to race toy cars let her go, and if a young boy wants a barbie doll well all the power to him. Thats the way it should be.

This is a link to the class discussion on the STJ forum.

Judge The Anthropologist’s Take on The Snaid Anac

Ethnocentrism and stereotyping are very commonly used when someone tries to understand or explain a different culture than their own. Anthropologists must try not to be ethnocentric or stereotypical when they examine another culture but I have found two examples in this article that express they qualities.

Stereotyping is defined as taking a group and treating or relating to it it terms that only apply to a few. An example of this is the common stereotype that all Canadians say eh, this is a stereotype because not all Canadians say eh, it only applies to most Canadians. “Every household has one or more shrines for this purpose.” is an example of stereotyping because not every household has a shrine for this purpose, some households may not have any shrines at all. We cannot justify saying that every single house that a Snaid Anac lives in has one or more of these shrines because unless somebody goes to ever single house and sees a shrine in each one it is unorthodox to say that it does.

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to place one’s own culture ahead of others often by making judgements and comparing another culture with their own.

A is Back!

I am currently reading the sixth book in the fictional series Pretty Little Liars, written by Sara Shepard. This particular book is about the four main characters Aria, Hannah, Spencer, and Emily trying to track down the mysterious stalker A, find out where Alison’s potential killer Ian is hiding, and keep the press, police and everyone else for that matter completely clueless regarding their personal lives.

STJ School Forum : Book Talk : Fiction Book Discussion : Killer
STJ School Forum

Killer in Book Talk : Fiction Book Discussion, klumayko, 2009-11-03
Who is your favorite character in the series?In Killer the girls are being stalked and blackmailed by some annoymous person that they assume they don't know, this makes me wonder why do people sometimes hurt others who have done nothing to them? The girls have no clue as to who the mysterious A is so they don't know what they have done to him or her that would compell them to be so cruel and relentless towards them. I believe that if you have a problem with someone then you should talk to them in person about it, not blackmail them into ruining their lives. The book ends with readers still not knowing who A is so we cannot be certain as to if the girls have done anything to A or not but until A tell them what they did to her or him I feel that it is unjust to torture these poor girls.

Killer in Book Talk : Fiction Book Discussion, dpottle, 2009-11-03
klumayko wrote:I have just recently finished reading the last few pages of Killer and I have to admit that the ending, ever though it is great, was very frustrating and sad. I believe that anyone who is reading this book will be amazed by how it ends. I very highly recommend this book to others, but only if they read the first five book beforehand. I agree that the ending of it is really surprising

Killer in Book Talk : Fiction Book Discussion, klumayko, 2009-11-02
I have just recently finished reading the last few pages of Killer and I have to admit that the ending, ever though it is great, was very frustrating and sad. I believe that anyone who is reading this book will be amazed by how it ends. I very highly recommend this book to others, but only if they read the first five book beforehand.

Killer in Book Talk : Fiction Book Discussion, dpottle, 2009-10-24
killer is like the best book ever!!!!

Killer in Book Talk : Fiction Book Discussion, klumayko, 2009-10-23
For the past few weeks I have been reading the sixth book in the Pretty Little Liars series, Killer. I am just over half finished the book, reading 224 out of 321 pages. So far Killer has been an amazing read, filled with an abundance of suspense and drama. Killer is about the lives of four ex best friends, Aria, Hannah, Spencer, and Emily, who, after having their old best friend Alison's missing body found and being stalked by a mysterious person known only as A. A has revealed their deepest and darkest secrets and made them lose the people closest to them, and A even convinced the girls that Ian Thomas, one of the girls boyfriend and Alison's secret boyfriend, was Alison's murderer. I believe that this book is very good and I strongly recommend the whole series.

Misshapen Identities

With globalization of media and the increased amount of communication technologies becoming so vastly involved in our everyday lives it is hard to determine whether or not it is making our personal identities better or worse. Increased technological advancements has both pros and cons. For example cell phones can improve our lives and make it easier to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues, we can also use our phones to show our personal interests and likes by posting a display picture of something you like, picking a phone either in the color or style that interests you, and buying ringtones that very efficiently display the type of music you like. With the conflicting points of views of those who accept or disapprove of technology it is difficult to judge whether or not technology is enhancing or ruining our lives.

Those who believe that technology is endangering our social and interactive growth may also believe that  we are losing our identities, both as an individual and as a collective. Because of increased international trade many counties are using similar technologies, which in turn is making a more homogeneous society. For example if a many teenage girls around the world all listen to music icons such as Nelly Furtado, who is famous mostly in Canada, USA, Spain, and Mexico. Because these girls all listen to the same music it is likely that they will adopt similar trends from the songs, like if Nelly wore ripped jeans in one of her videos then many girls would all want ripped jeans too. These trends create these girls to become more alike. Advertisements also increase homogenization by promoting products in different nations, and selling the same products to different people. This increase in assimilation can be problematic because if one were to become too much like another they would lose part of their personal identity and uniqueness. This is true for groups too, in fact cultural groups such as the Inuit people have changed their alphabet from classic Inuit symbols and lettering to lettering very similar to that of the english language. Now few Inuit people know the ancient way of writing, and have become more ‘European’.

Other, however, see the increase of globalization as a great thing because it not only increases the diversity of products we get, but it also brings different nations closer together through trade agreements and international communications. For example when Japan exports televisions to Canada, Canada will give Japan oil as payment for the new products. Because of this trade agreement between two different nations Canadians get better, and more technologically advanced,  televisions and Japan gets oil which can be used to run vehicles and equipment. This trade allows the bond between Japanese and Canadian merchants to grow and prosper, increasing the well known saying “world peace”. Through importing and exporting of diverse products with alternating countries and companies groups as a whole, such as Canadian shippers who ship the new televisions to different companies and stores around the country, get an increased identity because their job is getting business which would make them happy and more proud to be one of the shippers who provide Canadian stores with new products. The positive influence that importing televisions from other parts of the world has on our personal identities is mainly communicational increases. For example when an individual buys a product from a store they have to use their communicational skills with a salesperson. This increases their identity because talking to others makes you feel more involved in society. This is an example of how simple globalization, such as importing televisions, can be positive for many identities.

In conclusion I believe that increased globalization of media and technology can’t be clearly labeled as either bettering or worsening our society because of the multiple pros and cons. Globalization can also influence collective and individual identities by connecting people through thing such as trade, internet, and advertisements. I believe that we as a society should embrace globalization though, because it allows countries to gain new products and knowledge.

Killer

I am currently reading the sixth book in the Pretty Little Liars series written by Sara Shepard. Pretty Little Liars is about the lives of four pretty 17 year old girls who, after years of friendship, go their separate ways and only return to a brief friendship after thier old best friend Alisons’ body shows up after being missing for four years. Soon after Alison’s body is discovered in a built over hole, the four girls, Aria, Spencer, Hannah, and Emily, all start receiving creepy messages from an anonymous person signed A, who knows all their deepest and darkest secrets. The girls go through months of torture, with A stalking them and never being able to figure out who A is, having policemen and reporters asking them numerous questions about the night Alison went missing, Hannah’s best friend Mona is discovered to be A, and she tries to kill Hannah and Spencer. and of course the little scandals that break out on a weekly basis. Soon enough, though, the girls gather their personal evidence and accuse Spencer’s older sister’s boyfriend, and Alison’s secret lover, Ian. The girls have to stand behind each other and reassure each others evidence and conclusions regarding the murder.

During Ian’s murder trial Spencer, Aria, Hannah, and Emily have to defend each other and try to tell the police and judges what they believe really happened the night Alison went missing. If all four girls don’t agree to the same accusations and alibis then nobody will believe any of them, and Alison’s killer may never be found. That is why it is important for them to speak out in someone’s defense, others will be more likely to believe the girls if all four share the same ideology. If someone close to you is in trouble and needs your help would you not try to do everything in your power to help them? They are you friends, your family, the the most important people in your life, defending them whether by going on trial, standing up to someone for them, or even just being there for them and believing them is the most important act you can do, that is why these brave Rosewood girls are sticking together to fight against the man they believe killed their former best friend.

However because of the mysterious new A, who they believe is Ian, they are too scared to. The new A is blackmailing and  threatening the girls so that they don’t testify against Ian. This is where one would be puzzled, is it better to testify against a potential killer and risk getting your deepest secrets revealed or possibly killed, or is it better to not testify and save your own self but put others at risk. This question haunts me because I personally wouldn’t know what to do if I was thrust into that situation. I wouldn’t want other people, including my friends and family, to be in harms way because of one decision that I made, but at the same time I don’t want to risk losing my life.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a very controversial and emotional subject among people, preferably young adults ages 11 to 20. Many young adults do suffer from an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, but few admit it because of its negative title. Eating disorders are medical disorders that make a person believe that they are fat and need to lose weight by either not eating, throwing up, or eating very little. There are a few different kinds of eating disorders and each one had there own unique symptoms and execution.

Anorexia is the most common eating disorder known. People suffering from anorexia will often not eat normal amounts of food, they will eat small amounts or wont eat in front of others. People suffering with anorexia see themselves as fat or ugly so they will do one, or a few, of the following acts.

Purge -to rid of whatever is impure or undesirable; cleanse; purify. Throw up; vomit

Binge – a period of excessive eating followed by excessive vomiting to rid the body of food that may contribute to weight gain.

Selective eating – one will prevent the consumption of certain foods

Compulsive Overeating – one will consume thousands of calories often in one sitting, this can often lead to obesity.

What most people don’t realize is that people who suffer from anorexia aren’t putting themselves through this for attention or suicidal reasons. These women, and sometimes men, are not mentally fit. When they look in a mirror they can’t focus on the beautiful features and assets they have, instead their minds dwell on the imperfections. When an anorexic or bulimic person look in the mirror they see themselves as being an ugly, fat, unattractive freak, more often than not this is actually the opposite of reality. No matter how many times or how much you reassure the person that they are not fat they will always see themselves as obese. Because society expects perfection and people are very judge mental, the people who eventually become anorexic or bulimic will do what ever it takes to become skinny and ‘acceptable’. Being anorexic is not something to take lightly though. Yes all the person is doing is trying to fit in but if they go too far their actions could have dyer consequences.

The effects of having an eating disorder are exhaustion, loss of appetite, yellowing, and dryness of the skin and fingernails, dry, brittle hair, and heart problems. Bulimia causes tooth and gum damage, esophageal and digestive tract problems, and callused fingers.

Eating disorders are becoming far more common it today’s world and I believe that we should do more about it. People who suffer from eating disorders should be put into “rehab” or at least visit a phycologist. Anorexia and bulimia need to be taken more seriously, and I believe that more should be done to prevent people with eating disorders to let their symptoms and problems overpower their lives and progress.