HI Group,
We finally have the blog going for this semester's reading blogs. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get it going. Please begin a conversation about the essays you've read this far. I look forward to learning what you think about the essays.
62 comments:
To be completely honest, I did not like this essay at all. His tone throughout was very demeaning. It seemed as if he was blaming us for the AIDS pandemic. He also said that one of the reasons that there is no current cure for AIDS is because when it first came out we ignored it because we thought it only affected those who were “immoral”. On page 519 Gould wrote, “What a tragedy that our moral stupidity caused us to lose precious time…” I took it as a bash against people who have morals. I think the real reason there is no cure for AIDS is because it mutates quickly, and we can’t come up with drugs to keep up with it. Morals have nothing to do with.
I didn't care for this essay either. I didn't care for the tone of the author either. He seemed very demanding and he acted like he knew everything. He sounded as if he thought that the whole world was dumb and assumed that only AIDS was in homosexuals, those of a different race, ect. I think though that now pretty much everyone knows quite a bit about AIDS and how much of a problem it is becoming. I feel that we are far from a cure for AIDS. Curing AIDS will be just as much of a challenge as curing Cancer.
I recently read "We Do Abortions Here."
When I first saw the title of this essay, I figured I wouldn't like this essay at all. I have never been for abortions at all. I did like the fact that the author used a great deal of detail in her piece. She graphically explains the process of an abortion and all it entails. I like this becuase it puts the reader right in the room where the abortion is taking place. I didn't like the fact that this author didn't believe in abortions yet continually works and allows these abortions to continue. The author does an amazing job connecting to the audience through details and personal thoughts. It is definitely worth reading to see what really happens in an abortion and how much heartache it can cause. I wish though that the author would have leaned toward promoting against abortions more.
Personally I liked this article. I did not agree with everything that he says, and I wouldn't take everything as far as he does. I do think he raises some valid issues. We, as humanity, have been trying to control everything we come into contact with for a long time, and the fact is we simply can not. There will always be things we can't control. I also think he raises a good point by saying our reactions to this problem would be drastically different had AIDS been brought into a Park Avenue Apartment. It is true we do not have a cure as of yet, but we do have some medication that can help fight it. More importantly we can be educating people about how to prevent it. I think he makes the point that we should be doing something to fight one of the deadliest outbreaks ever. While I do not agree with his tone throughout the entire article, I still liked it.
I found Tisdale’s essay to be very interesting. I couldn’t tell if she was for or against abortions, though. She started off by saying how she hated emptying the basins of blood after each abortion, knowing that the mass of tissue was once a living thing. At the beginning it sounded like she was against abortions. On page 529 she even says, “Each abortion is a measure of our failure to protect, to nourish our own.” This is such a sad statement, and it made me wonder why she did abortions if she thought they were “a measure of our failure”. She then talks about how she pities the women who come in, and understands why they want to have abortions. She flip-flops on her stance regarding abortion. Her whole attitude about it, though, can be summed up in one line from her essay on page 529: “It is a sweet brutality we practice here…” In this line, she is neither agreeing nor disagreeing with abortion.
With regard to the Aids one that I missed blogging earlier...I agree with your comments on his tone. It almost made me a little uncomfortable. However, I do think that there will be a vaccination some day for AIDS, and cancer for that matter. There are so many advances that we as consumers don't know or hear about b/c they are not concrete yet, but I think they are getting close to it. I did like how he told us that he was a paleopathologist. This made him more credible in my mind, but I also feel that he felt superior to us as readers hence the demeaning tone.
*We do Abortions Here*
I agree with Cassie on this article. It was hard to get a grip on whether or not she is for or against abortion. I was a little frustrated while reading it because of this. I also did not at all like reading about what they actually do during the procedure, grossed me out. After reading the essay my attitude changed a little. I actually found it a little refreshing to hear about someone who waivers on this issue. Most people feel very strongly one way or the other. She seemed to get over the fact that she doesn't like abortions to see the hurting women that are having abortions. I commend her for that. I disagree adamantly with abortions, but agree adamantly that the women having them are still people. While yes I believe they made a bad mistake they are hurting and it is a time we can help.
We Do Abortions here...
Wow...This essay made me depressed literally. The part where she was telling us about some of the different clients they have made my heart break, especially the one about the mother of 2 having her 7th abortion! Those were 7 potential lives that will never have the opportunity to live.How could she do that? I found myself eager to keep reading, but sad by all her stories. I know that working at that place is this womans job, but I would really hope ethics would play a role in the place in which you choose to work. I would not be a good fit in that environment, I would try to talk them out of it, not into it.
Abortion as we know is a very controversial topic, and some of her examples are the cause of the controversy. Rape, illegitimate mothers,and severe deformity. These are all reasons that some people would choose to get an abortion which may sound ok to other people. I have never been in any of these situations or know of anyone personally who has been. This would be a very difficult situation to be in, but I think it is important to remember that God created us all and he has a specific plan for our lives. That plan could be carried out from a wheelchair or walking, either way, God has a plan for our lives and no one should mess with that.
The Terminology of Medicine
I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading this. I can't really say I liked this essay but I didn't. I did like how he told us that our health care system does have many advances, but I didn't like how he seemed to be throwing out big words just to sound legit. I know he was trying to tell the reader of specific disease that could be helped or cured, but with even having medical terminology in my background, I still couldn't figure out some of the diseases he was talking about.Just that alone made me less interested in the essay. I appreciate this essay and how he feels that the cost of health care is to high, because it is, but I can't help but wonder what his point was by writing this essay. I found this article to be boring and not very interesting personally.
* Technology of Medicine *
I was not a huge fan of this essay. I suppose he had some good information, but he never made me care about it. I am not one who is very interested or intrigued by medicine, and he did not make me care about the technology of it either. He threw out lots of big words and technical terms for diseases without explaining what they were. I am just assuming thats what those big words meant, I am not actually sure. I would have also liked some more details in other spots. He said certain things took up lots of the costs of medicine, that is very vague. Give me an estimate, whether its actual amounts or percentages, anything would have been better. I felt like he threw some big words in there to make himself sound smart, but he needed to do some more concrete research to be credible.
“The Technology of Medicine”
This whole essay annoyed me. I thought that Thomas’s tone was very smug. He was criticizing the medical community because they haven’t found a cure for every disease. I thought that he didn’t understand the concept of starting at the bottom and working your way up. It seemed that he wanted instantaneous cures. He was also condemning the medical community because they have come up with ways to prevent disease and prolong life, but have not completely eradicated illness. His point wasn’t very clear. Was it about health costs, technology, or how incompetent the medical community is? The essay did not have a central problem, which made it very hard to follow.
The Technology of Medicine
I didn't care for this essay much at all. I felt as Thomas was acting like a know-it-all. He had a very negative attitude throughout the essay and tried to make himself look good and intelligent by the use of his words. I thought this essay would be interesting because my quest has to do with the title. I was very dissapointed with the essay. I didn't like the fact that he made doctors out to be morons becuase they don't know about advancing medicine. I feel that if Thomas provided a nice tone and explained more about the terminology he used, then more people would like his essay.
“Remarks by the President…”
I enjoyed reading this essay. It was extremely easy to follow and he presented his ideas very well. He presented two arguments, but it was clear to see which view he falls under. I agreed with the argument that stem cell research is taking away the potential of life. I thought that it was right for him to equate stem cell research with the hatcheries of the future described in Brave New World. I think there should be a limit on how far our genetic technology goes. Are we killing life potentials to save a few people lives?
*Remarks from the President*
The issue of stem cell research is a tough one. To be honest I do not know enough about this topic to have a very solid opinion. I too see the promise and potential for good that it has. Yet I am not sure if I can overlook the moral implications and ramifications. If it is at the cost of human life, or potential human life then I am oposed. I really liked this article. I thought the Presiden did a good job of explaining both sides from an unbiased position before giving away his position.
Remarks from the President
I enjoyed reading this essay. I have always wondered about stem cell research and it was interesting to learn how our president feels about this topic. I like how the president explained the topic well and gave both sides of the argument. When I first heard about stem cell research I was against it, but like the president said, once one finds out more about the research, the pros outway the cons. I agree with some of the ways that stem cell research is used, but I dont agree with the ethical argument about it. I believe that an embryo is a human life and God created it. Scientists have no right to kill innocent embryos for science and they have no reason to clone humans either. It is hard to be on one side fully with this argument.
I agree with you all in the sense that this essay was very well stated. After reading this I still don't know how I feel about it though. I think that embryos are a human life and they should not be killed for the purpose of science. While reading this I found myself having flashes of the movie" The Island" in my head. That movie was so weird yet fascinating. I don't know if you all have seen it but it deals with clones for every rich human being. The clones are stored on an island and when the rich person needs a liver or heart or something then they just take it from the clones. Bush briefly talks about this, though it would be nice to have spare parts, a human life would have to be developed and destroyed in order to use those parts. I think I would be ok with the whole issue of stem cell research if it was not to harm any living thing including embryos.
*Active and Passive Euthanasia*
I wasn't sure what to think about this essay. The author does a very good job of explaining his argument. Prior to reading it I was against euthanasia of any kind, but by the end my view changed. It might not have changed in the way he wanted it to, but it at least changed. I did know all the distinctions between active and passive euthanasia. The way he describes it here passive euthanasia sounds very inhumane, and worse than active. I still don't agree with active euthanasia, and I agree less with passive euthanasia, but I don't hod those beliefs as strongly anymore.
I agree with Brandon on how the essay made me reconsider how I view euthanasia. I’m still not sure where I stand, though. The author did a very good job of explaining the differences between active and passive euthanasia. I could tell that he was very passionate about this issue, which made me want to care about it. This essay was informative, interesting, and it kept my attention.
Active and Passive Euthanasia
When I first read the title of this piece, I thought I would learn a lot from this essay. I had not known a lot about euthanasia before I read this. I thought the author did an excellent job distinguishing between active and passive euthanasia. The author made me think as to what I believe is right. He explains that there is no moral difference between the two. I personally don't believe in euthanasia, but after reading this essay, its hard to say that I still think that way. I enjoyed how the author explained euthanasia well and used many exampoles to help emphasize his point. He kept my attention throughtout the piece also.
Why We Crave Horror Movies
I don't care for horror movies, never really have. When I saw the title of this essay, I was intrigued as to why so many people crave this type of movie. When I saw that it was written by famous author Stephen King, I figured it would be pretty good. I like the fact that this essay was short and sweet and King got to his point quickly. It was interesting to find out that horror movies appeal to the worst in us. It realizes our nastiest fantasies without us actually doing them. This makes me think what is going through other peoples' minds when I'm in the theater watching these movies. It is scary to think that some people see these movies and then go out and perform these sick fantasies.
Why we crave horror movies
Like Sharon I don't really like horror movies. On occasion I will watch one, but I have to make a decision to be scared before the movie starts to actually be scared. Overall I thought the essay was good. I also liked how it was short and sweet. Sometimes authors tend to be long-winded, it is refeshing when an author just gets right to his/her point.
“Why We Crave Horror Movies”
I liked reading this essay. I agree with Brandon and Sharon that the length was perfect. He didn’t feel the need to drag out his thoughts. I didn’t agree with King’s reasoning that we go to see horror movies because we are trying to live out a fantasy. I don’t really like horror movies, but when I watch one it is because I want something different. I don’t view them because I am trying to let out my violence.
" The Clan of the One-Breasted Women"
I really enjoyed reading this essay. It was sad at the beginning when Williams informed us the incidence of breast cancer in her family. I couldn't believe that that many women in her life all had breast cancer. I can't imagine dealing with my mother, grandmothers, and aunts all having breast cancer. I think it is horrible that the government did nothing when it was clearly evident that their bomb testing in the 1950's caused so much cancer among Utahns. There should have been something done to save those peoples' lives. I was so impressed with Williams when she crossed the Nevada Line to protest what the government did to her family. She is a stong woman, and I agree fully with what she stood up for.
" The Intimacy of Blogs"
Even though this essay was short, I didn't really care for it. I never have been interested in blogging. This year is the first time I have ever blogged. It was kinda interesting learning about the different types of blogs on the internet. It was disturbing to find out that some people are really intimate in their blogging. Some people are just too curious about other peoples' lives. I thought it was funny that Blogger was mentioned in this essay. I don't really like to blog because I don't really like sharing my personal information with everyone on the web. This way of blogging is fine because only certain people can see it, this isn't too bad.
“The Clan of the One-Breasted Women”
I liked this essay at first. I thought it was going to be a tragic but heartwarming story of a group of women with cancer supporting one another. I was wrong. It became an abstract riddle that was hard to keep up with. The transition of her two styles of writing was very abrupt. It also became less about cancer and more about how the author thought it was wrong for the American government to test bombs on their own land in a secluded desert. The tone of the essay towards the end was more a political statement than the journey of a group of women with cancer. The second half of the essay disappointed me.
" Saving Nature, But Only for Man"
This essay wasn't interesting for me. It was short, but I felt as if the author was scatterbrained. He talked about a wide range of environmental ideas but none really relatead to each other. I haven't really learned much about our environmental situation and what is wrong with it. The only thing I liked was what Charles said at the end. He stated that we need to protect the environment. I think everyone thinks that should happen, but no one is really doing anything about it. I feel that this author was just stating what is already obvious.
"Intimacy of Blogs"
I didn't enjoy this essay either. It had more to do with the subject matter than the writing style of the author. The essay was very clear and direct. The specific examples helped me understand the world of blogging better. They also helped prove the author's point. The focus of the essay was to show how people are becoming friends with people they have never met; they are pouring their hearts out to complete strangers. It was hard for me to identify with the essay, though, because I have never socially blogged before.
"Virtual Students, Digital Classroom"
I enjoyed reading this essay. I enjoyed learning more about online learning and how this author thought about it. I personally don't like online schooling/learning. I have had friends who have taken online classes, and they like it because they can go to school whenever they want. The bad thing about online classes is that there is no set date for things to be turned in. I feel if I took one of these classes, I wouldn't do anything until the very last minute. There is no structure with these. I don't think students who take online classes/learning don't get the full effect of school. Sitting on your butt in front of a computer all day when you want to isnt good. You aren't interacting with other people your age. I feel those who do online classes/learning don't get all they can get out of classes if they would instead attend regular, in a class, schooling.
"The Obligation to Endure"
I feel that Carson made a valuable point in this essay about possibly stopping the use of poisonous chemicals to stop the killing of people. I would have to say that I disagree with her though. I'm not for killing people by the chemicals, but I feel chemicals are essential. My own grandpa and uncle are farmers; that is all they rely on to live. They need a healthy crop in each field in order to make money to support themeselves. One cannot plant a crop in a field and not apply pestisides on it and expect a perfect yield. There are so many insects in the world today that try to destroy the crops. It is essential for chemicals to be sprayed on the fields to kill of this insects before they kill the field. The product of these fields helps so many people and the discontinuing of chemicals would do more harm than good, I think.
"The Making of a Divorce Culture"
I enjoyed reading this essay. It was interesting to find out the stats of divorce in the American culture. It is a sad realization about how prevalent divorce is in our culture. I personally hate to hear divorce stories. Divorce causes so much heartache within a family. So many times, now, husbands and wives are married for several years and just get bored of their relationship and go find something new or exciting. This causes so much distress and heartache withhin the family especially on the children. I have a good friend who's parents recently got divorced. It has been so hard on him to try to get through college while a divorce going on at home. It is a sad realization about the number of cases of divorce in America, and unfortunately I don't think it will end anytime soon.
" Why I [Still] Want a Wife"
I'm not sure how I feel about this essay. I thought it was both funny and degrading. It was funny in the fact that everyone really wants to have a "perfect wife" around to meet all our needs. But then it is degrading in the way the author talked about this perfect wife, in the fact that she would do nothing but please the author. So I have a mixed feeling on this. It was a funny essay to read though.
"Saving Nature, But Only for Man"
I found this essay to be very interesting. When I started reading it I thought that it was going to be another speech about how man is destroying the planet with our pollution. As I read on, I discovered that this was not a typical environmentalist’s speech. The whole idea was that we need to protect the earth for our benefit, not for nature’s. The examples that the author used really helped me understand what he was trying to get across. It’s sad to think that some people are losing their jobs over the hysteria that we are destroying the earth.
* Clan of One-Breasted WOmen*
I really liked this article. I reacted the opposite of Cassie and did not really like the beginning but started to enjoy it as I read. I had no idea the extent of the testing that happened back then. From what we know about radiation she is most likely correct, and agree with Sharon in supporting her. Maybe it is just because I like to get behind social injustices, but I liked that the essay turned from a feel sad for me I have cancer essay to one about social injustice. I liked how she made the article less about her as it moved on.
*Intimacy of Blogs*
My feelings about this article are similat to Sharon's. I am not a huge fan of this article. One thing I thought the author did well bringing back the story he started with for the conclusion. I have never gotten too involved in the blogosphere, but have a little experience. I think they can be a great way to utilize technology. A lot of my friends that have graduated have blogs, and they are great ways that we can all keep up to date on each others lives. Obviously it would be better to talk, but there just isn't enough time to keep in touch with that many people. They can get too intimate, and some people have gotten addicted and that is bad. However, when used correctly I think blogging can be good.
*Saving Nature, but Only For Man*
I was not a big fan of this article. For one, I never felt like Krauthammer established any credability. Also, I felt like he did a poor job attacking other positions. I admit that I am no expert of anything he was talking about, but I got the sense he did not really know much either.I also found it ironic that one of his reasons for trying to save the environment is that ozone depletion is killing plankton, which is part of the food chain and would disrupt it. Later in the essay he says he would sacrifice owls and caribou, but would not that also disrupt the food chain? I support trying to protect the environment, and agree that I would pick a human over an owl. I just did not think the author did a good job of making his point, in the end I wanted to disagree with him.
“Virtual Students, Digital Classroom”
I agree with what Sharon said in regards to virtual education. Part of the learning process is interacting with our peers. I remember when I was in elementary school and we would play educational computer games. Everyone had a way to play the game without learning. I came up with ways to avoid the educational aspect of it and use it purely for entertainment. I loved everything about this essay. It spoke the truth of how we are putting too much trust into computers. Technology has become something of a god to us. We believe that it will solve all of our problems, and we are fascinated with it.
“The Obligation to Endure”
I did not enjoy this essay. The author used many facts, but had nothing to back them up with. She was not very credible. Some of her accusations seemed outlandish. She blamed the people who planted elm trees along city streets a hundred years ago, for out beetle problem. Perhaps she is forgetting that the beetles came from Asia as a result of foreign imports. Her claims were to ridiculous to be taken seriously.
“The Making of a Divorce Culture”
This essay did not surprise me. It makes sense that the reason there are so many more divorces today is because people are living for themselves. People will do what will make them happy without thinking about how their actions affect other people. We live in a selfish society, and this selfishness is demonstrated, by an extent, by the high divorce rate. People don’t want to have to work to achieve happiness. They want instant gratification. If a marriage is having some trouble, the easy thing to do is to get a divorce, and not have to go through the pain of reconciliation.
“Why I [Still] Want a Wife”
I completely agree with Sharon about this essay. It was both funny and degrading. It was funny because it was written by a woman. It was degrading because it made it sound as if the wife’s only duty and job is to serve her husband. The essay was also degrading towards men. I assume that she is speaking from the perspective of a man. She made it seem as if a man only seeks a wife for the purpose of having someone serve him. This essay captured extremes on the perspective of the wife and of the husband.
“Evan’s Two Moms”
I found this essay to be interesting. It proposed the idea that in twenty-five years we, as a society, will be perfectly fine with the idea of same-sex marriage. I think it’s true. As much as I don’t want homosexual marriage legalized, it is going to happen. People seem fine with same-sex marriages. We see homosexual couples everywhere on TV, when a few years ago it was unheard of.
“Cinderella: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts”
I was distraught after reading this essay. It took a thing as pure and simple as a child’s fairy tale and perverted it. I don’t believe that a child reading Cinderella will take away from it a sexual desire for one of their parents. This idea is ludicrous. In the age we live in everything has to have a sexual undertone. If it doesn’t, then someone will overanalyze the story until they can create one. This is exactly what this author did. He took something innocent and pure and perverted it. And people wonder why the age of kids experimenting with sexual activity is getting lower and lower.
"Why We Crave Horror Movies"
I agree with you all on the fact that the length of this essay was nice! I disagree with you though that horror movies bring out the nastiest fantasies. I actually enjoy watching a horror movie with a bunch of people on a weekend night every once in a while. I agree with King as he describes that watching on is like " riding a roller coaster". I am a pretty safe, non exciting person. I don't do things that could get me in any sort of trouble or hurt me in anyway.I don't even ride roller coasters! Some call this boring, I call it safe. When watching a horror movie I experience fear that I don't typically feel everyday, or every week for that matter. I have never felt like a bad person after watching one, and have never felt that what I just saw was acceptable in society. The fear that I experience from those movies goes away after a while because I know it was just a fake story that some sick made up( I do agree with you on that matter). I hope none of you think I am a "sick" person for watching them, but personally, I don't see a problem with watching them if you can forget about it and move on with your life when the movie is over. It is the people that dwell on what they saw and make it real that are the sick ones.
"Active and Passive Euthanasia"
This essay was very interesting to me. My first couple years of college asked us a lot of questions about this topic. I have mixed feeling about the whole thing. Dr. Kevorkian was wrong in the way he killed his clients, and by killing some for the wrong reasons. I think that if people are ill then they should be able to die by natural causes, not by speeding up the process. Elderly people that are ill and weak can sign a paper stating that they do not want to be revived if they die, or they can refuse any further medical treatment. I think this is ok because either way you look at it they die of natural causes. Although I do feel that it is a doctors responsibility to keep them alive, but only if they consent to it.
* virtual students, Digital Classroom *
Unlike Sharon and Cassie I think we should embrace more electronic schooling. There can still be times to interact with peers in an educational way, such as having debates on blogs and whatnot. think of the added benefits as well. One teacher could ultimately do the work of three if most of the work was done online. There is a way of cutting school budgets down. However, even with some of these benefits I would not fully endorse doing all schooling online. I think we should utilize the internet and its potential for education, but when we think of school learning how to deal with people is a big part that can not be overlooked. There is a social dimension to school that gets overlooked. This is the same reason I am oposed to home-schooling my children.
* Obligation to Endure *
I agree with Cassie on this one. I did not like the article. The author never established herself as credible, and her claims seemed too exagerated. As far as chemicals go, I think it would do us all better to be more natural. I understand the need for some pesticides, I have friends and relatives that farm. However, I still think that the more natural the better.
* The Making of a Divorce Culture*
I have done some studying on divorce, and it absolutely breaks my heart to hear those statistics every time. I have also put together the connection between our extremely self absorbed culture and divorce. I hope and pray that enough people have been hurt by divorce and will be willing to work through their marriages so they don't hurt their kids like they got hurt. The sad statistic is that the divorce rates are not much higher from church members, and that the rate of divorce by two IWU grads is actually higher than the national average, at least it was a few years ago. It is all just sad, mostly because the innocent get hurt in these scenarios.
" The Clan of the One-Breasted Women"
I agree with Sharon that Williams is a very strong woman. This essay hit a nerve with me for personal reasons, and it made me very upset with the government for their neglect at that time. I thought this essay was very well written and she had many great examples to make the reader see her point and reasons for feeling the way she does. I just wish there was something that could be done to stop the cancer epidemic, but we all know it's not possible.
"The Making of a Divorce Culture"
I agree with Cassie that our society is very selfish. Not only are my parents divorced, but 1 out of 5 of my friends back home have divorced parents as well. Whitehead says that it is no longer unusual to our society to see divorce, and this is true everywhere you look. There was a commercial not to long ago that said" If you don't like your car get a new one, if you don't like your spouse get a new one..." When I saw this commercial I was disgusted at the fact that the commercial was saying this, but for whatever reason I knew why they used that as a marketing scheme. It definitely gets an Americans attention which is really sad. Also,after reading this article it made it clear to me that our society is not going to change; no matter how bad people think they want to.
“Why I [Still] Want a Wife”
I agree with you girls on this one. The essay was capturing but degrading in an odd way. I found myself agreeing with some of the things she was implying. Not all men are like the one's she described but many of them are. After reading this I could not help but think what this woman has been through, possible divorce? She seemed very bitter towards men and the way that she thinks wives are perceived in American culture. This essay was both funny and sad at points, but overall an interesting essay.
"Evan's Two Moms"
I found this essay interesting too like Cassie. I didn't realize what a gay or lesbian couple don't receive when they choose to be together. No joint tax returns, survivor benefit's Social security, ect is interesting. It would have to be true love to go though all that and still be together. I found it interesting that maybe in 25 years, we as a country, will accept gay marriage. There are so many gay couples in the world today, I think it will probably happen.
"Evan's Two Moms"
I agree with Cassie again, Same sex marriage will happen, it's inevitable. The sad thing is that we as Christians could potentially stop it but are willing to stand up for what we believe in because of the motto "don't hate the sinner, hate the sin." That phrase has caused us to tell ourselves to be ok with sin as long as we don't hold it against the sinner. By doing this I think that we are enabling sin to happen. I don't feel we should judge others, but I don't think we should legalize and be fine with everything they want either.
" The Intimacy of Blogs"
I agree with you all, I didn't really care for this essay. The length was nice, but I didnt not care for the subject matter. The authors use of examples was good though. I did not know you could do so much with a personal blog, no did I know that it was an internet sight all it's own. Those two things were news to me. I personally do not take part in blogs,I don't have the time.However, my step-sister has plenty of time. She has gotten herself into trouble through blogs, so i tend to have a bad taste about them anyway.
"Cinderella: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts"
I didn't really care for this essay either. The author took a simple, sweet childhood fairy tale and disturbantly analyses it. He assumes that every child who has to do work at home for their parents can make the excuse that they are treated like Cinderella. There are some children who do live a life like Cinderella in troubled homes, but I didn't like that he included it. At the end when he talked about how sex is related to the story of Cinderella was degrading and not interesting at all. I didn't like the author's interpretation of the story at all.
"Saving Nature, but Only For Man"
As Brandon said, this author did not sound credible. This seemed as though it was strictly opinion based and not thought through. The got the sense that the Krauthammer was indirectly speaking to animal rights activists. He seemed to want to save animals to protect the food chain, but then was willing to kill them at any cost for humans to live. I agree with him that man should do what they need to to live, but as with all things, they should do it with caution. Not all caribous and owls have to die, maybe they could just be relocated. That way man and nature could live together like they do now and no one would have to get hurt.
"Cinderella..."
I agree with casie, yet again. I found this essay to be disturbing inthe sense that anyone atually put that much thought into a childs movie. It has been so long since I have seen that movie, and never once remember ever feeling the way he described. I think that the writer may have seen that and had bad feelings after it but I doubt many kids at the way he described. I don't know to many people or children that associate their lives to a Disney movie charecter.
"Digital Calssroom..."
This essasy was interesting to me in the sense that I learned a lot about what happens with online schooling, he had a lot of good examples. Personaly the issue never really appealed to me, who wans to sit by themsleves to learn somehing uninteresting. If I am going to sit through that, I want to see other people suffering with me. That my sound mean, but it's not. I am just a social person who loves company! I believe that more online things will be done in the future, I just hope they work for better and not for worse.
"Obligation..."
This essay really kept my attention. His examples really made wht he was saying seem real. It worried me with all the things he was saying about chemicals and how they are harming our world. My step-father is a part time farmer and uses plenty of chemials.After reading this essay I felt like I hould call him and tell him to stop using them. I know that they are essential but for whatever reason I was trying to think of ways to get around using them. Part way through it seemed to me as though I was listening to Al Gore alk about how we are hurting the earth. I undersand that this is very inportant subject but I also don't like to worry myself with thinking about it. I'm just praying that the rapture happens before all of this does.
* Why I [Still] Want a Wife*
I was not a big an of this article. I too found it to be degrading of women. Don't get me wrong, I fight for women's rights probly more than the next guy, but the author seemed to hate men. I hoped at first the article would eventually turn into something that would uplift women, but all it did was make the author sound bitter towards men. She has obviously been hurt by some guy in the past. Most guys are jerks, but I do not know many that are like the one she is describing. I kept thinking to myself wow, this lady needs some counseling.
*Evan's Two Mom's *
From the standpoint of this article I did not like it. I thought it could be have been written better. If I was the author I would have apealded to emotion much more. The chance was there and the author did not take it. I also did not agree with all of her points. She says religion should have nothing to do with marriage, but their would not be marriage without religion. In every society marriage has been something done within religion. On the issue I am not sure what my stance is. I think homosexual couples should get some rights, such as hospital visits and whatnot, but I do not think they should be able to get married, just because of the religious aspect of it.
*Cinderella: A story of sibling rivalry*
I too agree, I did not enojoy this essay. It felt as if the author was stretching for something with most of his poins. Even if they were true, why bring it up. That is not he meaning behind the story when children hear it today. What may have been behind it is not that relevant now. Also, every child that has to work at home is not cinderella. Children need to work at home. In case the author didn't notice, we have a generation that has no work ethic because they were not taught one at home.
Yay! You all did it! I enjoyed scanning :) your blog entries and wished I'd had time to read them thoroughly. I like the way you interacted about the essays. This seems to have been an effective way for you to communicate about them. If you check this blog site one more time, I'd like to know how you felt about blogging--something I meant to bring up in class and forgot. Have a wonderful Christmas break and hopefully I'll see you (except for Brandon) next semester sometime.
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