All students are required to comment TWICE a week. A week goes from Monday to Sunday. A comment can be a response to my or others' posts --- or a new post. All posts must be relevant to class discussions and assignments. Each post should be 1-3 paragraphs.
Remember, it is OK to disagree with one another, but we must always be RESPECTFUL of one another.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Your Social Commentary
If you were to write some sort of social commentary, what would you criticize about your society? And how would you express that criticism? Through art, music, novel, movie, etc?
In my society, I would criticize the driving laws. Over the past few years, many driving laws have been proposed and then passed by government officials. At first, you received your license at age 16, and there were no driving restrictions. Later, it became 17 and gradually became 18 and you had your permit for at least a year before getting your license. Eventually, it became 18 with full privileges, 17 with one non-family member, and 16 permit. If this was not strict enough, they made it 18 full privileges, 17 with only one other person in the car including family members, and 16 permit. This laws are unnecessary and are holding teens back from becoming adults. By the time you are 18, you are preparing for college and taking SAT's. All the parents are letting loose a little now that they're child has become an adult. With these driving restrictions, it is very difficult to let a child into the world when they do not have enough driving experience. Also, these laws have been based on a previous accident. This pretty much means that ONE incident/accident could change the rules for every 16-18 year old in the state. This is completely unnecessary meaning that one incident should not punish everyone. Parents should make the rules for their child's safety and it should not all be laid on the government's hands.
In my social commentary, i could criticize the government. I would most defiantly criticize it by making a movie. I would show this by having the country fall apart, and its all the governments fault. The government would be weak, and unable to control the people. I would also have scenes of government conspiracies, or secrets that were being withheld from the people. Eventually all of these would be leaked, thus causing chaos. The president would be represented by some what of a coward, and not strong enough to lead the country. The intention of my movie will be to raise awarness about possible secrets, or just showing a weak government in general.
If i were to do a social commentary, i would do it on the type of violent movies and video games that are over the top when it comes to gore. I have nothing against horror films or scary games/movies, but when it comes to games such as grand theft auto, MadWorld, or Resident Evil, thats where i draw the line. I personally believe that people should stay away from these games, due to the extremely violent and inappropriate nature. I have seen people play these games, and most, especially MadWorld, are sickening if you think about it in real world terms. I doubt any of the people playing the games would be able to stomach watching a person in reality get chainsawed to death right in front of their very eyes. Although, yes, it is just a video game, and it isnt real, it still does implant violent things in the player's head, and give them the slightest inclination towards being ok with these disgusting acts.
If i wrote a social commentary, it would be criticizing the fact that smoking in public areas is legal in some places. I would express this by making a movie that shows everyone what secondhand smoke really does to you. I think that it is insane to allow smoking in public areas, because it does the same damage to someone actually smoking it that it does to nearby people. People who chose to smoke are chosing to ruin their lives, but it is not fair to the surrounding people to have to suffer the same consequences for something that they are not choosing to do. The research has proven the bad effects of secondhand smoke, and I would make a movie that shows society what can happen to their bodies just from standing near someone smoking.
I think that if people choose to smoke, then they should go smoke in their own house, and no in public areas. If they choose to go smoke, then that is fine, but they should not be able to take their bad choices on other people in the town. Public areas are also full of children that can easily be affected by these smokers. In order to protect the people that like to visit public areas in their town, we need to make sure that smokers are not there to make everyone get ill from their terrible choices.
If I were to write a social commentary, I would have to criticize teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is 100% preventable, but I feel like teenagers don't have enough influence on them to really understand the real consequences about it. I would have to express my criticism on teenage pregnancy through movies, novels, and as much as could. Teenagers need enough good influences to help them make better choices. Although what they do is up to them, society needs to do everything they can to try to get through to teenagers that it's 100% preventable. Parents need to take more time to discuss with their children the consequences and risks.
If I were to write a social commentary, I would also argue the driving laws. However, unlike Emily, I would think that the driving laws are too young. There are many accidents on the road, and an astounding number of them are people in their teens. I think that the driving age should be 20 years old. By then they have been to college and are truely starting to mature. When kids turn 18, they get the first tase of freedom, and many people go overboard when they get their independence. If they had to wait a few years, then they would be used to having privleges and they would know that they have to use them correctly. They will think the same thing when they get their driver's liscence. Even though kids mature at 18, they don't mature enough, and could get into serious accidents that would ruin their life. So by making the driving law older, we could save some of the teen's lives. I would exptess this through a book where it shows how a teenager gets in an accident. It would show how the person's life was changed because of it.
In my society, I would direct a social commentary on teenage drug use. Teenage drug use is rising more and more by the day in the U.S and this is becoming a very important issue, and it is important to raise awareness on this issue. Statistics show that: 8th grade -- 30.3% * 10th grade -- 44.9% * 12th grade -- 52.8% As seen in those statistic drug use is becoming more and more common throughout high school. If I was to shoot a movie concerning drug use in high school I would try to shoot every aspect and try to show the consequences. By doing this I hope to raise awareness because these bad habits can cause teens to ruin their lives, because once on their permanent records these kids wont be able to attend college nor find a job.
If I were to write a social commentary it would probably be through art of music. I would write the commentary about drug use in today's society. These days drugs are so easily accessable to anyone. The D.A.R.E. program as well as health class and our own family's guidance is not always enough to keep children in high school away from drugs. We are always taught that a form a peer pressure is "everybody's doing it" and that its not true. Maybe at one point it wasn't true but unfortunately today, it is true. The majority of high school students have been involved or are involved with drug use despite all of the programs and support against it. Our society is not taking a great enough stand against drugs because people in the public eye are doing drugs as well. This promotes it for teenagers and justifies the action in their minds.
I would criticize how materialistic my society is. All that a lot of people care about is clothes and money etc. People just spend money like it doesn't mean anything and just because they feel like it. There are many movies that express this criticism. For example, Mean Girls is a good example. There is that one group of girls in this movie that everyone hates because all they care about if themselves and how they look and their own problems. To express this criticism myself, I would also make a movie. I could make it like mean girls but show it in a different way. Instead of just one group of girls being materialistic, maybe everyone would be accept for just one group. Sometimes being materialistic can even effect your personality and you as a person. It makes you start to get too caught up in things that don't matter. Our society needs to slow down and realize what really does matter.
Unlike MMiller, I would write a social commentary on driving ages becoming to high and not giving enough freedom. She said that they go crazy when they turn 18 but the fact is that if you give people little aounts of freedom, but do it in a frequent matter, they will not go crazy because they get used to that freedom and do not see it as something to go crazy about. In the town I lived in when i lived in Texas. You would get your full license at 16. There were almost no teen accidents in the time span I lived there. Also, these younger teens would be more careful because they would know that they are the youngest people on the road. As people grow up, they take on more responsibilties like sports and other extracurricular things. If the parents are out, this person needs to get tothis activity. Most peoople start these activities at an age around 14/15. Also the new law proposed about having a sticker on your car that verifies you are a younger driver is discrimination. Police officers would be intent on looking for these stickers and miss people that are actually speeding. Also, younger people do not always drive their own car. They could share a car witht their parents.This would destroy the point of the sticker.
In my society, like Ben, I would also make a social commentary of our government. But unlike Ben, I would say how our government is almost imperialistic. I would do this through music or art, in which I would compare the actions of united states leaders to those of extremely imperialistic regimes of other countries. I would also bring up our involvement in putting governments similar to ours into foreign countries that we have "saved" from their tyrannical leaders. Our country doesn't have the right to force our ideals and political systems upon countries that do not want it, and furthermore societies that cannot support a democratic system due to the lack in unity of people groups.
A social commentary criticizes something in society. Just like Great Expectations. If I were to write a social commentary it would be about how greedy and money oriented our society is. People work everyday to earn money. That is normal, but other people are so greedy they have to cheat their way into getting money. Some majors companies like Goldman Sachs, rip off their own costumers so that they they can earn a bigger profit while their costumers lose money. Everyone wants to be rich, some want to work for their money and gradually save it but others want to get money fast and become rich. Where are the business ethics? Where is the line drawn from earning a living and becoming rich at the expense of your clients? There have been many other problems with money frauds and companies that trick their customers. this is not right.
If I were to write a social commentary, I would write mine on the laziness and obesity of the American society. America has become one of the fattest countries in the world. This is a problem that could be easily avoided by all people. First of all, people think that by going to fast food restaurants, they are saving money and time. However, the meals add up in price. The people might be saving time, time to live. As they eat it, they become heavier and unhealthier, which can ultimately lead to death. Another problem is they think they can eat all they want because they promise themselves they will go work out. Most Americans do not even belong to a gym to go to. If they do, a lot of people are never even motivated to go, and as a result, they just sit around and go to get more food the next day. I would express this through promoting a healthier lifestyle. For example, the governor of New York wants to tax on sugary beverages. I do not necessarily think that is the best solution, but taxing on really fattening foods, drinks, or chain restaurants is a very good idea. It will make the Americans think twice before deciding to eat like that.
Like Emily, I would criticize the driving laws that are always changing. The age of getting your license started at 16 and gradually went to 18. Then more restrictions were added and now we have Kayleighs Law with states that every teenage driver must have a sticker on their car, ultimately resulting in getting pulled over by cops for no apparent reason. They change so much, that I can't even keep track anymore. I probably won't get my license until i'm 20 because of the always changing laws. I would most likely critique this in a movie of satire. It would be a comedy making fun of these laws that can't stay the same for very long.
If I were to write some sort of social commentary, I would criticize how people in today's society are not informed and educated about what is going on in the world. Not enough people read the newspaper and watch the news to find out about the things going on in the government and the rest of the world. Too many Americans know more about what is on t.v and about certain celebrities than they do about their own government and its problems. I believe people should pay more attention to what is happening in their own country and in the world. Some people could care less and I don't think that is right. In order to express this criticism I would make a movie or documentary. In this movie there could be random interviews with people asking them questions that people should know regarding the latest happenings in our society.
If I were to criticize society, it would be about the new driving laws. These laws have changed tremendously throughtout the years, and they are still trying to add more restrictions. The laws are unnecessary and will not help the drivers, since there will always be new drivers in society no matter how old they are. To express this criticism, a way would be to make a movie with the license age 19 with alot of restrictions. They characters will still have the same amount of deaths and will still act as carelessly as the younger new drivers we have today. The only difference is that its older, and like alcohol it is going to become wanted more due to waiting till you are alot older to have it. Once the teens get their license, they will be much more eager and dangeously abuse it.
I think I would criticize the blind eye of people. I have noticed the strong blindness of people towards things they do not want to deal with. Genetically modified foods and other junk that is being sold is being ignored and just bought anyways. People think there is nothing they can do about the messed up system, and they are too lazy to be more action-oriented about it. I would also show my disapproval of the ignorance of a majority of the population. From what I've seen, they either don't care or they just don't know any better. Without having been told any better, they just go on living with no better information to realize the problems with the world outside of their little bubbles of life.
I would criticize how harsh people are to the idea of gay marriage. The way people regard those who have feelings for the same sex is terrible. The same principles apply to the way blacks were treated. People view others who are different as being alien and unacceptable. However, although others may have different religions, cultures, ideas, feelings, etc., they should not be blocked from society. Today, people are reverting back to the shield they had held up against a history of those who were considered "different" to others, and it should be broken down. Gay people have the right to love whomever they choose, and they should not be frowned upon for who they love. I would express this criticism by creating a story of a gay person trying to be embraced in society. Through a movie, I would visually display the teasing, disgust, and even violence that the person would have to endure while they tried to discover themselves and their place in society. There would be many antagonists, whose views of modern marriage were distilled by their hatred and fear towards those who are different. In the end, I would attempt to reveal the everyday struggles a gay person would have to go through, and try to get others not to refer to those who are gay by their orientation, but as actual human beings.
In my society today, I would criticize how much people judge others. Today, especially in places such as Mendham and Chester, it isn't always easy for people to fit in. In high school, there aren't many different types of people. Most of us are preppy or jocks, and there is a standard that many people strive to reach. But while trying to look the good and wear the best clothes, there is something very important lost along the way. Personality. Just because you want to fit in, doesn't mean you should loose the most important person in your life--yourself. There seems to be a ripple effect in these types of society, the ones who set this high standard spread it to people around them, and soon everyone is judging people by how they look and what they wear. There are so many genuine people out there, you just need to be able to see past the outside and get to know them better. The way I would express this criticism is through music. Music can be extremely powerful and people could interpret it in many ways and deal with the criticism however they want.
19 comments:
In my society, I would criticize the driving laws. Over the past few years, many driving laws have been proposed and then passed by government officials. At first, you received your license at age 16, and there were no driving restrictions. Later, it became 17 and gradually became 18 and you had your permit for at least a year before getting your license. Eventually, it became 18 with full privileges, 17 with one non-family member, and 16 permit. If this was not strict enough, they made it 18 full privileges, 17 with only one other person in the car including family members, and 16 permit. This laws are unnecessary and are holding teens back from becoming adults.
By the time you are 18, you are preparing for college and taking SAT's. All the parents are letting loose a little now that they're child has become an adult. With these driving restrictions, it is very difficult to let a child into the world when they do not have enough driving experience. Also, these laws have been based on a previous accident. This pretty much means that ONE incident/accident could change the rules for every 16-18 year old in the state. This is completely unnecessary meaning that one incident should not punish everyone. Parents should make the rules for their child's safety and it should not all be laid on the government's hands.
In my social commentary, i could criticize the government. I would most defiantly criticize it by making a movie. I would show this by having the country fall apart, and its all the governments fault. The government would be weak, and unable to control the people. I would also have scenes of government conspiracies, or secrets that were being withheld from the people. Eventually all of these would be leaked, thus causing chaos. The president would be represented by some what of a coward, and not strong enough to lead the country.
The intention of my movie will be to raise awarness about possible secrets, or just showing a weak government in general.
If i were to do a social commentary, i would do it on the type of violent movies and video games that are over the top when it comes to gore. I have nothing against horror films or scary games/movies, but when it comes to games such as grand theft auto, MadWorld, or Resident Evil, thats where i draw the line. I personally believe that people should stay away from these games, due to the extremely violent and inappropriate nature. I have seen people play these games, and most, especially MadWorld, are sickening if you think about it in real world terms. I doubt any of the people playing the games would be able to stomach watching a person in reality get chainsawed to death right in front of their very eyes. Although, yes, it is just a video game, and it isnt real, it still does implant violent things in the player's head, and give them the slightest inclination towards being ok with these disgusting acts.
If i wrote a social commentary, it would be criticizing the fact that smoking in public areas is legal in some places. I would express this by making a movie that shows everyone what secondhand smoke really does to you. I think that it is insane to allow smoking in public areas, because it does the same damage to someone actually smoking it that it does to nearby people. People who chose to smoke are chosing to ruin their lives, but it is not fair to the surrounding people to have to suffer the same consequences for something that they are not choosing to do. The research has proven the bad effects of secondhand smoke, and I would make a movie that shows society what can happen to their bodies just from standing near someone smoking.
I think that if people choose to smoke, then they should go smoke in their own house, and no in public areas. If they choose to go smoke, then that is fine, but they should not be able to take their bad choices on other people in the town. Public areas are also full of children that can easily be affected by these smokers. In order to protect the people that like to visit public areas in their town, we need to make sure that smokers are not there to make everyone get ill from their terrible choices.
If I were to write a social commentary, I would have to criticize teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is 100% preventable, but I feel like teenagers don't have enough influence on them to really understand the real consequences about it. I would have to express my criticism on teenage pregnancy through movies, novels, and as much as could.
Teenagers need enough good influences to help them make better choices. Although what they do is up to them, society needs to do everything they can to try to get through to teenagers that it's 100% preventable. Parents need to take more time to discuss with their children the consequences and risks.
If I were to write a social commentary, I would also argue the driving laws. However, unlike Emily, I would think that the driving laws are too young. There are many accidents on the road, and an astounding number of them are people in their teens. I think that the driving age should be 20 years old. By then they have been to college and are truely starting to mature. When kids turn 18, they get the first tase of freedom, and many people go overboard when they get their independence. If they had to wait a few years, then they would be used to having privleges and they would know that they have to use them correctly. They will think the same thing when they get their driver's liscence. Even though kids mature at 18, they don't mature enough, and could get into serious accidents that would ruin their life. So by making the driving law older, we could save some of the teen's lives. I would exptess this through a book where it shows how a teenager gets in an accident. It would show how the person's life was changed because of it.
In my society, I would direct a social commentary on teenage drug use. Teenage drug use is rising more and more by the day in the U.S and this is becoming a very important issue, and it is important to raise awareness on this issue. Statistics show that:
8th grade -- 30.3%
* 10th grade -- 44.9%
* 12th grade -- 52.8%
As seen in those statistic drug use is becoming more and more common throughout high school. If I was to shoot a movie concerning drug use in high school I would try to shoot every aspect and try to show the consequences. By doing this I hope to raise awareness because these bad habits can cause teens to ruin their lives, because once on their permanent records these kids wont be able to attend college nor find a job.
If I were to write a social commentary it would probably be through art of music. I would write the commentary about drug use in today's society. These days drugs are so easily accessable to anyone. The D.A.R.E. program as well as health class and our own family's guidance is not always enough to keep children in high school away from drugs. We are always taught that a form a peer pressure is "everybody's doing it" and that its not true. Maybe at one point it wasn't true but unfortunately today, it is true. The majority of high school students have been involved or are involved with drug use despite all of the programs and support against it. Our society is not taking a great enough stand against drugs because people in the public eye are doing drugs as well. This promotes it for teenagers and justifies the action in their minds.
I would criticize how materialistic my society is. All that a lot of people care about is clothes and money etc. People just spend money like it doesn't mean anything and just because they feel like it. There are many movies that express this criticism. For example, Mean Girls is a good example. There is that one group of girls in this movie that everyone hates because all they care about if themselves and how they look and their own problems.
To express this criticism myself, I would also make a movie. I could make it like mean girls but show it in a different way. Instead of just one group of girls being materialistic, maybe everyone would be accept for just one group. Sometimes being materialistic can even effect your personality and you as a person. It makes you start to get too caught up in things that don't matter. Our society needs to slow down and realize what really does matter.
Unlike MMiller, I would write a social commentary on driving ages becoming to high and not giving enough freedom. She said that they go crazy when they turn 18 but the fact is that if you give people little aounts of freedom, but do it in a frequent matter, they will not go crazy because they get used to that freedom and do not see it as something to go crazy about. In the town I lived in when i lived in Texas. You would get your full license at 16. There were almost no teen accidents in the time span I lived there. Also, these younger teens would be more careful because they would know that they are the youngest people on the road. As people grow up, they take on more responsibilties like sports and other extracurricular things. If the parents are out, this person needs to get tothis activity. Most peoople start these activities at an age around 14/15. Also the new law proposed about having a sticker on your car that verifies you are a younger driver is discrimination. Police officers would be intent on looking for these stickers and miss people that are actually speeding. Also, younger people do not always drive their own car. They could share a car witht their parents.This would destroy the point of the sticker.
In my society, like Ben, I would also make a social commentary of our government. But unlike Ben, I would say how our government is almost imperialistic. I would do this through music or art, in which I would compare the actions of united states leaders to those of extremely imperialistic regimes of other countries. I would also bring up our involvement in putting governments similar to ours into foreign countries that we have "saved" from their tyrannical leaders. Our country doesn't have the right to force our ideals and political systems upon countries that do not want it, and furthermore societies that cannot support a democratic system due to the lack in unity of people groups.
A social commentary criticizes something in society. Just like Great Expectations. If I were to write a social commentary it would be about how greedy and money oriented our society is. People work everyday to earn money. That is normal, but other people are so greedy they have to cheat their way into getting money. Some majors companies like Goldman Sachs, rip off their own costumers so that they they can earn a bigger profit while their costumers lose money. Everyone wants to be rich, some want to work for their money and gradually save it but others want to get money fast and become rich. Where are the business ethics? Where is the line drawn from earning a living and becoming rich at the expense of your clients? There have been many other problems with money frauds and companies that trick their customers. this is not right.
If I were to write a social commentary, I would write mine on the laziness and obesity of the American society. America has become one of the fattest countries in the world. This is a problem that could be easily avoided by all people. First of all, people think that by going to fast food restaurants, they are saving money and time. However, the meals add up in price. The people might be saving time, time to live. As they eat it, they become heavier and unhealthier, which can ultimately lead to death. Another problem is they think they can eat all they want because they promise themselves they will go work out. Most Americans do not even belong to a gym to go to. If they do, a lot of people are never even motivated to go, and as a result, they just sit around and go to get more food the next day. I would express this through promoting a healthier lifestyle. For example, the governor of New York wants to tax on sugary beverages. I do not necessarily think that is the best solution, but taxing on really fattening foods, drinks, or chain restaurants is a very good idea. It will make the Americans think twice before deciding to eat like that.
Like Emily, I would criticize the driving laws that are always changing. The age of getting your license started at 16 and gradually went to 18. Then more restrictions were added and now we have Kayleighs Law with states that every teenage driver must have a sticker on their car, ultimately resulting in getting pulled over by cops for no apparent reason. They change so much, that I can't even keep track anymore. I probably won't get my license until i'm 20 because of the always changing laws.
I would most likely critique this in a movie of satire. It would be a comedy making fun of these laws that can't stay the same for very long.
If I were to write some sort of social commentary, I would criticize how people in today's society are not informed and educated about what is going on in the world. Not enough people read the newspaper and watch the news to find out about the things going on in the government and the rest of the world. Too many Americans know more about what is on t.v and about certain celebrities than they do about their own government and its problems. I believe people should pay more attention to what is happening in their own country and in the world. Some people could care less and I don't think that is right. In order to express this criticism I would make a movie or documentary. In this movie there could be random interviews with people asking them questions that people should know regarding the latest happenings in our society.
If I were to criticize society, it would be about the new driving laws. These laws have changed tremendously throughtout the years, and they are still trying to add more restrictions. The laws are unnecessary and will not help the drivers, since there will always be new drivers in society no matter how old they are. To express this criticism, a way would be to make a movie with the license age 19 with alot of restrictions. They characters will still have the same amount of deaths and will still act as carelessly as the younger new drivers we have today. The only difference is that its older, and like alcohol it is going to become wanted more due to waiting till you are alot older to have it. Once the teens get their license, they will be much more eager and dangeously abuse it.
I think I would criticize the blind eye of people.
I have noticed the strong blindness of people towards things they do not want to deal with. Genetically modified foods and other junk that is being sold is being ignored and just bought anyways. People think there is nothing they can do about the messed up system, and they are too lazy to be more action-oriented about it.
I would also show my disapproval of the ignorance of a majority of the population. From what I've seen, they either don't care or they just don't know any better. Without having been told any better, they just go on living with no better information to realize the problems with the world outside of their little bubbles of life.
I would criticize how harsh people are to the idea of gay marriage. The way people regard those who have feelings for the same sex is terrible. The same principles apply to the way blacks were treated. People view others who are different as being alien and unacceptable. However, although others may have different religions, cultures, ideas, feelings, etc., they should not be blocked from society. Today, people are reverting back to the shield they had held up against a history of those who were considered "different" to others, and it should be broken down. Gay people have the right to love whomever they choose, and they should not be frowned upon for who they love.
I would express this criticism by creating a story of a gay person trying to be embraced in society. Through a movie, I would visually display the teasing, disgust, and even violence that the person would have to endure while they tried to discover themselves and their place in society. There would be many antagonists, whose views of modern marriage were distilled by their hatred and fear towards those who are different. In the end, I would attempt to reveal the everyday struggles a gay person would have to go through, and try to get others not to refer to those who are gay by their orientation, but as actual human beings.
In my society today, I would criticize how much people judge others. Today, especially in places such as Mendham and Chester, it isn't always easy for people to fit in. In high school, there aren't many different types of people. Most of us are preppy or jocks, and there is a standard that many people strive to reach. But while trying to look the good and wear the best clothes, there is something very important lost along the way. Personality. Just because you want to fit in, doesn't mean you should loose the most important person in your life--yourself. There seems to be a ripple effect in these types of society, the ones who set this high standard spread it to people around them, and soon everyone is judging people by how they look and what they wear. There are so many genuine people out there, you just need to be able to see past the outside and get to know them better.
The way I would express this criticism is through music. Music can be extremely powerful and people could interpret it in many ways and deal with the criticism however they want.
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