Blog 10

Well coming into this course i was expecting the worst but it really turned out to be an alright class. I'm not much of a reader but i found most of the material covered in class somewhat interesting, or at least it was made to be interesting to us haha Overall id say i learned a little bit more about how to use my analytic skills to understand and interpret a deeper meaning in a piece of literature. I can see how some of the things we learned over this semester can definitely be used in the future for whatever i may have to do.

No more books?

I know i'm not much of a reader and all but i still understand the importance of literature and how books really help the spread of knowledge. A distinctive characteristic of our species is the ability to record history and information in writing to ensure that we can progress in the future. Even when reading is not a common part of our lives, without the ability to understand and interpret concepts, how would we ever have a true understanding of our past? Besides the obvious pros for books such as entertainment, they make it possibe for the spread of ideas, which i think is the most important attribute of reading. My entire life, a majority of the things iv'e learned through school have come through books. Where would I be if books didn't exist and i couldn't read? When I think of people "burning books" today, two terms come to mind. Censorship and shortcuts. In our country at least, any piece of written work has some importance to it for somebody. When a book is banned because of its' content, i can see that as a form of "burning" someones ideas. Referring to shortcuts, Sparknotes and other sites ruin the real meaning of a book by getting rid of the concepts and storylines and replacing them with the main general ideas you can get from reading the back of the book. It makes the book lose its real value if you're not actually going to read it.

Blog #6 "Big Brother"

Even today in our society i can understand how someone would relate the book 1984  to life in the present. Corporations use information we put up on the internet everyday to label us into certain groups and aim their advertisements at us. We're simply one number out of a group. A lot of this information we're not even aware is being released. Unlike in 1984, we are not being forced to give up our right to privacy, we're handing it over because in some cases it gives us a sense of security. I agree that in some circumstances we must sacrifice a little bit of privacy for more security but not to the extent it is taken. The only way to keep our private life, private, is to limit and pay attention to what we are releasing to "Big Brother" via the internet and other means of technology.

blog #4

    This week in class we talked a lot about how Emerson and Thoreau stressed simplicity. Their view on technology and our dependence on it is completely different from my view now. During the mid to late 1800's, technology was looked at as a distraction by "naturalists" like Thoreau. The values and ethics of the time period are expressed in Thoreau's writing. "We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us in our soundest sleep."- David Thoreau. I think he's trying to say we should stay true to ourselves and not let our modern luxuries run our lives. Thoreau saw that people were relying more on what could make their lives easier, rather than what would make their lives more fulfilling.
    I won't say that technology is ruining our culture, but it definitely has the potential. Millions of people abuse the luxuries we do have and just kind of go through the motions without enjoying what's around them. Instead of going out to enjoy the world, many people are content with sitting at home and watching it on tv. it's just not the same. I think we need to find a happy medium to balance out the equation. It's almost a fact that in our culture today, technology is a necessity for our progression as a nation but not for our survival. I believe i could live and enjoy nature just as Thoreau did for a year, it would just be extremely challenging because of the lifestyle I'm used to. By the end of the experiment, i think i would understand myself a bit better and understand what i really wanted to do with the rest of my life. I think it would be a life changing experience. At the same time, I'm not gonna be the first one to volunteer for that because i think i have a good grasp on reality as it is.

"Dumbest" Generation? Really?

I can't argue with the fact that my generation has the world at our fingertips. We can find anything we want to in a matter of seconds using a computer. But Mark Bauerlein has made a very steep assumption by saying we're the "dumbest" generation, we're simply the most privileged. Give any teenager in any time period access to all the technology we have access to and do you think they would handle it any differently? I really doubt it. Although i agree that many teenagers are abusing the technology we have by using it for gaming and other enjoyable things more than they probably should, a lot of students are using the same technology to further their education and try to gain a better knowledge of the world. How is it we're the "dumbest" generation if by following the Flynn Effect , our generation scores , on average, 15 points or one standard deviation higher on an IQ test than the pervious generation? As Bauerlein said, " Never have the opportunities for education, learning, political action, and cultural activity been greater." He's right, we do have more than enough opportunities and a lot of people take advantage of them every day. Like right now, while I'm typing up this blog, I'm proving Bauerlein wrong. As Olivia said in here blog , "Everybody's participation in class today made me realize that Bauerlein doesn't know anything about us [the supposed "dumbest generation"]."
             His attitude is the stereotypical old man on the porch ( which was said in class today). "Going online habituates them to juvenile mental habits."- Bauerlien. Are you serious? Haha I guess the next time I'm writing a paper for a class, i shouldn't use the millions of sources on the internet because i MAY become distracted like some teenagers do on the net. Almost everything he said sounds like an over-exaggeration. Maybe he said it to provoke change? Maybe he said it to be an asshole? Either way, I believe in some of the things Bauerlein is saying, just not to the extent he's saying them. Students should learn to balance school and free time, and should understand how to take advantage of all the information in front of us. Does anybody else feel the same way? I know i have my own problems sometimes balancing work and play haha

Blog 2

Every new chapter I read in Culture Jam, in a very blatant way, points out problems in society that many people choose to ignore. A lot of these problems even I ignore which is not where i want to be ha ha. In Media Virus, there was one quote that i believe sort of summed up the chapter and a majority of people as a whole. " We don't want to take any advertising that's inimical to our legitimate business interests." - NBC commercial clearance manager Richard Gitter (page 32) This was regarding a non-profit group trying to raise awareness about that growing problems with the logging industry in Canada. When i read this all i see is a company saying, " We will show what will make us money. Values and ethics mean nothing." Why do you think our society as a whole has placed money over doing what is right? Where did we take the wrong turn? I myself cannot answer this because it is well beyond my understanding what would possess people to worship a green piece of paper over peoples rights and morals. " In the former Soviet Union you weren't allowed to speak out against the government. In North America today you cannot speak out against the sponsors."(page 33) Pretty ridiculous, but true in a sense.

         Regarding the Second Skin video and a few other chapters of the book: In Culture Jam, the author spoke about MUD's and how they can control peoples lives and even become an "addiction." As a human being, I find this pretty pathetic. I'm not trying to put down anybody that plays these RPG games online as i have played some myself, but find it almost irritating that some people can use that as an excuse for a lifestyle that really doesn't amount to much. The typical hermit. Millions of people play these games and use them as an escape from the problems of reality. I believe it is a way for them to subconsciously gain approval from themselves and it sort of implants this thought in their brain that they are honestly achieving something great. In my opinion, it is the de-socialization of people at its finest! At the rate the world is going, many people will live their lives with hardly any face to face interaction. How are young children growing up that see this going to be able to communicate, make friends, and in the long run find jobs if they have no people skills? In the video, it talks about a few couples that had met online and ended up falling in love. These people took a huge gamble and completely changed their lives for someone they met through an online video game. My question is, if these people are content with living in these online fantasy worlds, when they meet someone are they having feelings for the real person or just the character they see in WOW? It seems to me as if its an easier way of finding a partner without having to search for the right person. Are people really becoming that lazy? What do you think?

Introduction

My name is Brian Suchanick. I'm a 20 year old sophomore Economics major with a concentration in business. I'm really easy to get along with, pretty mellow. I'm usually hanging out with friends or just gaming a bit during my spare time. Sports are a big part of my life. I pretty much watch them all. Played baseball in high school, always was my favorite sport. I'll listen to almost any genre of music, i like a large variety. I probably can't tell you the last time i actually read a full novel, I'm really not much of a reader. I think the last book i read was a book written about Pete Rose, the baseball player. Literature in my opinion is people wanting to share and expand their thoughts through other people and to leave their mark on society when they're long gone. I'm taking this class as a gen ed and have never blogged or anything before so this would be my first you're reading so don't hate haha.Anything else you'd like to know, just ask.