Photography

The vision of the future is constantly changing as the current perceptions of life are fluctuating, but the view of the past is static and will never change especially the past that is depicted by photos; Although, these photos also often represent a different past that is not very true or representative of the actual past, they can portray a past of genuine happiness and joy.

When a photograph is taken of someone, it typically pictures the person smiling and having a good time. The reason people do this is when they look back on the memory, they want to remember it as a happy time that was full of joy and fun. When you want to relive the past, people would prefer to live the happy moments not the painful ones. So the next time you look at a photo of some event in the past and you laugh out loud remembering all the funny and happy moments, think about how smiling during the photo changed your perception of the past. This also coincides with the phrase, "when you look back on today you will laugh at what happened." As time goes on and people change or calm down, they look back on memories with a brighter mind set and one that is willing to accept what happened and move on. If you look at a photo of a passed away friend, family member, or even pet you might feel sad and depressed that they had left and you might not be able to spend time together again. At the same time when you think of them and see them smiling or having fun, you will recollect all the great memories and times that you spent with them, not all the times that you fought or had a disagreement. This is because our mind naturally wants to be happy and only remember the happy moments in our life. So although we might criticize others for smiling during a photo and saying that we are taking pictures of a fake reality that does not exist, society should also remember that there are photos of true cheerfulness and that sometimes pictures are taken so that it is easier to remember the good times and the ones that keep bonds strong.

Unnecessary Arguments

P.C. language is a very controversial topic; however it is one that in my opinion should not be. There is a need for more than only two sides to fully encompass the varying perspectives on P.C. language. But in an attempt to do so I will say that one side is for the complete use of P.C. language, while the other is strongly against it. Both sides have compelling arguments that all people should hear before they decide on a position to take; therefore, when someone blindly follows an argument without any reason or support, they end up looking weak and unarguable. This can be seen when talking to a person who is in support of one side and giving them a counter argument. They would not know what to say and how retaliate with their own thoughts, because they were not willing to make their own opinion in the first place. If a person were to truly advocate for a side then they would have their own reasons to do so, and would be able to come up with a counter argument against any other counter argument. So what I am trying to say is that, when someone like "The Word Police" try to earn "points for political correctness by saying 'ovarimony' instead of 'testimony',"(Michiko Kakutani) they can easily be subjected to "mockery." It is clear that the people who are actually trying to use P.C. language to change how the world looks at females, would not focus on using words like "ovarimony" but rather microaggressions that are actually hurting people. This is why people should not just come into an argument and blindly follow an opinion without actually seeing both sides and thinking of a logical one on their own.

The Clan of One-Breasted Women

The Clan of One-Breasted Women by Terry Tempest Williams illustrates a new perspective of a family who was hurt and is still hurt by the government. With a dream to a reality, Williams shares her story of her hardships and the fight she had to endure to protect her homeland and defend her rights. It was assumed that due to the government testing atomic bombs near the area that she lived, William's family had a history of breast cancer and the women having to get "mastectomies," hence the clan of one-breasted women. One interesting point that Williams brought up, was how the government thought that "public health was secondary to national security." This was ironic as the safety of the people came at a price of their well-being. If the government was trying so hard to protect their people, then how could they do that if the people themselves are either dying or fighting against each other? The only reason the government acts this way is because they only care that they are immune-"the king can do no wrong."  As long as they- the important people-are safe and protected, then all others are irrelevant or "virtual uninhabitants." Even those who try to oppose the government and try to get some justice in a justice-based world are thrown aside and "stranded." Although Williams' point of view is one that most might not be able to reconcile and relate with, it is one that is worth exploring and acting upon for the betterment of our society.

Marked or Unmarked?

This week in English, our class had a heated debate about what marking is and how the author's view point is different from a guy's view point. While some arguments were not so legitimate and convincing, others were quite compelling and even brought up more debate and discussion. One specific argument was how the author views men as having the option to dress unmarked, while women don't. I said that this was all based on perspective. Most guys wouldn't notice if a girl wore a dress two times in a row, while another girl might. On the other hand, as Stephen said, if a guy wore a really fancy suit all the other guys would notice it while some girls might think it is a regular suit and therefore unmarked. Even though to girls, guys might have the option to be unmarked, some guys might think the same way about girls. If a girl wore sweats in school, no one would care except other girls while if a guy wore only sweats to school then I myself would even notice him and what he is wearing. This also goes along with the other spectrum of clothes-the fancy types. Yes some girls might think a guy is dressed up nice, but they wouldn't be able to discern the small things that other guys might be able to and vice versa. This is only like this because girls don't typically know much about guys dressing and same goes with guys not knowing much about girls dressing. But the worst part about all this is that even though women will judge and oppress other women, they will end up blaming men. I know this might sound outrageous at first, but take a step back and actually think about it. The author of "There is No Unmarked Woman" blames men for what women have to wear and also the fact that men get a choice of being unmarked, but when actually, the author themselves, a woman, is judging and marking the other women at that conference. It is the false accusations and wrongful blame that honestly makes no sense to me. How could one think like this, but then again I am not a woman so how would I know their side of the story/augment. (Not meant to be a dis against women).

Gendered Spaces

So the Oscars are on right now meaning this blog is going to take a while to write, but here we go.

So we were given two options about what to blog about, and I decided to choose gendered spaces in our community. What first came to mind was the thought of mostly women in a grocery store, shopping for food that they will put together to feed their families. Now days however, there are many more male figures in the housewife field, making food and going out to get groceries for the home. This change that is starting to become a norm can be led back to the fact that there is more opportunity for women to work and be able support the household by themselves. With many fights and movements for women work equality, there are slowly an increasing number of jobs for these women and more and more are becoming leaders and entrepreneurs of larger and new companies. After countless hours of hard work, these women get to come home to their spouse and have a meal ready for them. This is all due to the work and care done by the man. So for those thinking that only females are allowed to be in a grocery store and in the kitchen, it is time to rethink and see what is going on around you.

Marrying Logical

Even though the following viewpoint is not very reasonable in my opinion, I thought that I might write in it as to see how I could fair when writing for an opposing viewpoint.

Most people think of Las Vegas as a place to have a time of their lives and do crazy things while having no subsequent regrets. This is idea is often thought of when the phrase "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" is spoken. However, this idea of a place with "no 'time' ... no past and no future" (Didion) does not come to mind when thinking about Las Vegas. To some of these people, Las Vegas is a place of happiness and a sign of true love. I'm talking about the people who get married in Las Vegas. To others, performing such a task is absurd and unthinkable, how someone would even consider doing so. Although to the people themselves, these marriages are "as nice, as [they] hoped and dreamed it [to] be." (Didion) Everyone always loathes and despises these people, only because they themselves are outsiders looking in. If they were to truly experience the unbreakable bond of love between some of the people who are there, then they too would want to get married in Las Vegas. When it comes down to it the only thing that is really important to the people getting married, is being in the presence of each other. All the other materialistic things that go along with typical marriages might seem important and essential to a wedding, but to the marriages that are comprised of true love, these things are irrelevant in the end.

The Experience of Another

I have always thought of America as my home, considering I was born and raised up here my whole life. However, to others this might not hold as true. I am talking about my parents. They were both born and brought up in India till my dad came here to get his master's degree. Once my dad was out of college he got an apartment and his wife, my mom, came to live with him. Both my parents always found the American culture as not only fascinating due to new experience, but also very open and accepting. By dad never ran into any troubles or hardships, relating to his origins, when he was in college and neither did my mom. My dad once told me that in fact he was able to "grow socially and economically" in this American culture. He was able to meet all sorts of new friends and even have a better lifestyle all due to this culture that was so new to him. One example that stood out to me was one that my mom told me about her endeavors. She had a bachelor's degree in graphics design and so as an artist, she was always looking for an opportunity to create and express herself. One day, my mom found a job for this old white woman who was super nice. She let my mom paint her door, and even payed my mom extra for doing so well. My mom tells me that she can remember those moments very well because they showed how nice and kind people can truly be. 

Paternal Love

This week in English was interesting because we read a passage called "Arm Wrestling with My Father" which I was able to really connect to, and I failed my first AP English test.

"Arm Wrestling with My Father," by Brad Manning, was about Manning and how his relationship with his father is seen in a new light as Manning starts to grow up. I can kind of relate to him, as my father acts in similar ways. For example, when the father "would take [Manning] outside and show [him] a new move for [his] game" (Manning 145), I can connect with that. When I used to play soccer, after every game my dad would talk to me on how I could improve. Every single game that he could be at, he was there watching and taking mental notes. Whenever he wasn't traveling, he would always be helping me at home with my soccer skills. Even if he was out of town, he would call me up and ask me how my game was. My dad never really shows love in a physical way, as my mom would with a hug or kiss. However, I will always know that he has his own way of expressing his emotions towards me-through his passion. Whatever he does that involves me of some kind, he will go 110% to make sure I get the best of what I can. He will never back down on a way to teach me or make me a better person. Just how Manning is able to exemplify his father's love, I too can represent all of my father's actions as actions of love.

Disability

This week in class we talked about identity, perception, and disability. The word disability is always associated with identity and perception. To me both identity and perception have multiple meanings as one could think of it as society's perception of you created your identity, or maybe your own perception of the world can make the identity that is linked with you. These are just a few ways to think about how the two relate, but not many people might think of these words when talking about disability. In today's society, being disabled has become almost rude to other people as they feel offended by even having to look or be around that person. Although this sounds outrageous and very unlikely, especially in a nicer environment like Troy, this happens all the time albeit happens subconsciously. I saw this when we were watching the video in class about the mannequins being made for peoples with various disabilities. When the mannequins were put in shops so that people could see, people were visibly feeling a disgust and disapproval towards them. However, if the same people were to hear about the story behind these mannequins, then they would probably love the idea and approve seeing these models around the world in shops. Then towards the end of the video, one of the disabled persons that the model was made off of, stood in front of the mannequin and was in awe. As people walked by and saw that they were the same they thought the shop was very sweet and caring for having put out a mannequin that looked like that. This shows how people's perception of things can create the identity of others, just as they did for the shop keeper and disabled mannequins.