Entry #11: This is it: No more amazingly insightful, witty posts from the Ruler of the World.

It's done. It's finally over. No more having to come up with in-depth analysis and commentary for varying different topics on a blog. Week after week, as if walking through a blizzard, I plowed through. The weekly process was something akin to taking off a bandage, knowing it has to be done but dreading it. My motto was "just get it done." It was fueled by the thought process of, "Do you want an A or a symbolically, brightly, obnoxiously shining, neon colored, F? Okay then. Get it done." Grades are great motivators to take assignments seriously.

The following are some pictures visually illustrating my reaction and thought process:

Initial thoughts at the beginning of the semester: As much as I would love to start a blog, I'm going to pass. Thanks for the exciting offer, but no thanks. Oh wait, what do you mean it's required for the class? Yipee. What joy I've stumbled upon.

Weekly struggle...

Weekly struggle...

Weekly struggle...

In all seriousness, I actually enjoy writing and after some deep introspective, philosophical thinking I realized I like making sarcastic, borderline petulant quips complaining about unpleasantries I have to overcome. Just kidding. I realized (actually realized it some time ago) that my initial reaction to being told that I "have" to do something, is that I want nothing to do with whatever it is. For example, as a kid being told that:  I "have" to eat my vegetables. No thanks and no way -- not happening. I "have" to clean my room? Says who and what army? Yet if my mother prepared a new vegetable and said there wasn't enough for everyone, but that it was okay if I didn't have any since I didn't like vegetables anyways, then I just HAD to taste it. Reverse psychology, (which I later learned to use on my siblings--completely unrelated) works. This is a technique Prof. Chris and other instructors should implement to get students to want to do assignments without the students realizing they're being tricked using psychological tactics. 

For example: 

Teacher: "Students, there is this blog assignment, but you all probably don't want to know more about it. 

Student(s): "What? It sounds secretive so of course now I want to know about it." 

Teacher: "Well it's a project where you would create a blog and upload posts on some preset topics and some topics of your choosing. You would have complete creative authority. But you know what. Forget I mentioned it. Don't think about it anymore; disregard it from your minds." 

Student(s): "Now that you said not to think about it, it's all I can think about. And now I want to do this blog project where I'll have complete creative authority and be able to share my ideas on topics of my choosing. 

Okay... so maybe it wouldn't work out exactly like that but it would be worth a try. It might save some poor student the mental anguish of "having" to create a blog.

But actually there are positives to creating a blog for a class. Usually the main audience is the professor and fellow students; although it is on the internet and potentially visible to any reader worldwide. Also the format of blog writing allows for more freedom in tone and voice that differs from writing academic papers.  [Such as is evident in some of my sarcastic/joking quips and casual tone of verbiage used]. On a blog, videos, pictures, audio are resources that can be used to draw in an audience or used to make a point, again in contrast to most academic papers. And also, blogging for a class helps a student "test the waters" when creating content on a social media platform that is more in-depth than merely sharing pictures of the triple-chocolate chocoflan they just ate; it adds some significance to the writing (especially since that writing is also tied to a grade).

All in all, I actually did enjoy the process. I enjoyed researching the topics I was writing about to gain a better understanding myself and to provide a greater understanding in my writing as well. The most difficult part of most journeys, as I wrote about on my first blog post, tends to be the beginning, the dreaded commencement. Once that first step is taken, there will probably still be moments of lackluster, seemingly sarcastic enthusiasm at completing said task, but with some self encouragement, reverse psychology or whatever, it can be done. As with most things that begin, they must also usually come to an end. Such is the case with this blog. Not to worry though, writing for fun, on my own time is something I already partake in. 

I leave this blog with a fitting song from Tears for Fears titled "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." It also fits in with my blog because it shows a little kid in a Vaquero (one of the topics I discussed in a post about Slanted Reporting), outfit at the beginning of the video. But mainly it's relevant because it talks about how many want to rule the world, though few can achieve it like I have done; and also because I like the song and its catchy tune.

So that was that. A pixel of the ocean of the mind and thoughts of the Ruler of the World was shared. Not a lake, not a river, not a puddle, but a pixel and now it's time for new conquests and new adventures. Onward I go. 

- Ruler of the World.

 

Picture sources: 

"Thank you but no" : http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/080/164/364.jpg

"B..but... ... I don't wanna!" : https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaKCIcmv8uTL8QwU2eGNvri0CR1A_wJ8Hr5ykZjOv69c_QVbETBYiGlcI-RxqMVq9RlMDAFyqex-_Lu3LFi-_hxv8QVYNHj4jMRiIrpkUrr3VtBEXudazX2omM_60x0JpRcJRiUGfTCs/s1600/hFFABD336.jpg

"Do not want" : http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/245/Do_Not_Want_Dog_%281%29.jpg

"I don't want" : http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/386/186/0f1.jpg

Entry #10: Cat companion thinks I'm Weird

My cat companion probably thinks that he's "stuck" with one strange human. This is evidenced whenever I look over at him and he's staring at me with a perplexed look on his face, his head slightly tilted as if pondering "what the heck is wrong with this human?"

Just recently, somehow I ended up watching videos on how to make a realistic water drop sound through a sort of whistling form. Here's two videos for any water-drop-sound-making enthusiasts. [I did successfully learn to make the sound a few times...still need practice]

My cat stared on, clearly not impressed but amused and perplexed at my strange behavior of flicking my face while trying to make funny sounds. I found the situation hilarious, just by trying to imagine what thoughts might be running through his mind as he tried to figure out my yet again "weird" human behavior.

Another main instance when I'm sure he's puzzled (maybe not anymore, or not as much, as he's used to me now), is when I watch cat/dog/animal videos, or  videos in general. I wonder if at first he thought I had a a kitten somehow stuck in my phone. The first few times I played cat videos around him, he would stop what he was doing and stare at me almost in disbelief as he tried figuring out where the meows were coming from. Now he has learned it's not a real cat, but he still sometimes seems to pay attention; perhaps trying to decode what the kitten/cat is saying?

Anyways, to end this post I leave a video of a very talkative kitten that reminds me of my cat companion in his younger years. It's titled "Cute and Annoying Kitten" which aptly describes the kittens antics.

Entry #9: Influences and perceptions of Media

Prior to taking this ENG  class, I already was what I would consider vastly aware of the effect and influence of media. Topics in class discussing the power of media haven't truly stirred any new ideas, but have brought them to a more forefront location occupying more frequent "brain time" as it correlates with the frequency of discussion of the topic.

Some of the behaviors/actions that I have and do link to a media influence as well as a societal influence are how individuals behave according to what their gender is supposed to be like. I see men/boys aspiring to be/look like the tough, rash, aggressive characters they see on movies, cartoons, advertisements, in music etc. And I see women/girls aspiring to look a certain way depending on the fad, and to behave a certain way depending on the current idealization. It's all a bunch of nonsense. Thankfully, I see a brighter future in the horizon. From just 10 years ago, there has been progress. More and more it is becoming acceptable (and shown in some advertisements), that boys/men can be sensitive/thoughtful/caring (it's a human "thing"/trait) and that girls/women can be dominant/aggressive/rational  (it's a human "thing"/trait).

But there is still much growth to be achieved. And the media in all its many mediums, such as advertisements, TV, movies, social media, music, books, technology, etc because they are so intertwined with our way of life, all play and will play a major role in determining how fast we reach a more equal ideology in tandem with face-to-face interactions.

Specifically, one small aspect I've noticed recently is how on TV, video advertisements etc, and in everyday life, the phrase: "you guys" is constantly becoming the preferred way of describing a group of people regardless of if the groups is indeed comprised of all "guys" or not. Instead, it can be said, "you all, you both, you two, you three, all of you, etc." This manner is more inclusive without specifying a gender.

Because the reach of media and its various forms is so vast, its usage and spread is indeed very powerful and successful in spreading messages and ideologies. The question is and will be how will we humans use it to become a better species.

Entry #8: Re-evaluating what aspects of U.S.A. History are taught in U.S.A schools.

Recently I watched a documentary titled " The Thick Dark Fog" regarding the experiences of Native Americans who were involuntarily made to attend government boarding schools from 1879 to the 1960's. Previous to watching this, I had no idea something like this had ever occurred on  U.S.A. soil. None of this was ever taught in elementary school, or high school. The documentary gives the perspective of Native American people who were forced and sometimes taken from their homes unwillingly to boarding schools where they were taught to "lose their savage ways," and learn the "white mans way." They were beaten physically and mentally damaged. They didn't have positive, caring adult role models, which research has now shown to be necessary for proper social, mental, and cognitive development. From other documentaries, I had known that Native American people were forced to speak English and many lost their native languages. This documentary showed that the children were also prevented from speaking anything but English at the boarding schools.

The following is a trailer of the documentary.

The most thought-provoking point for me was when it was detailed that the ancient Native American people viewed their children as their greatest value. An ideology many parents, grandparents, etc, currently and throughout history can and have surely agree with. But the riveting point was that many Native American nations had the belief that harming children or those in their tribe was beyond shameful, unacceptable and caustic to their society. But as the children in the government boarding schools grew up, they had the new knowledge that violence among each other is acceptable, because they were beaten continuously as children. They learned as future parents that violence against their own children or family members was okay. From a neuroscience aspect, it can be argued that their brains/neuronal connections were literally wired to respond with violence to different situations or maybe as a basis of behaving, because that was the only coping method/mode of being they learned and were taught. This film highlights the effects experiences can have on the brain and in turn on behavior.

Another aspect of United States history that was never taught, (at least not in my schools) in elementary or high school was the Japanese Internment Camps made possible by Executive Order 9066 allowed by President Roosevelt ("Construction and Destruction). After the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese, around 112,000 Americans of Japanese descent/origin were placed in prison-camps as a "precautionary measure" against espionage or possible attacks ("Construction and Destruction"). I learned of this fact of U.S.A history during my high school years after watching some documentaries on my own time.

When studying and re-telling the history of a nation, a diverse picture should be presented; one that is a well-developed, well-rounded illustration that focuses on all groups of people that have played a part in the making of the nation. For example in both elementary school and high school the curriculum included learning of the 13 colonies, the pilgrims and their struggles and fates. Of the wars fought against the French and the British. Yet the curriculum never included learning the many different names and customs of the various Native American tribes. It didn't include learning the contributions of Native American ideology from the Iroquois that were used in the founding of the U.S. Constitution. It didn't include the contributions of Americans of African descent, where in Africa they were taken from, or their in-depth personal struggles in slavery.

There have been many mistakes made throughout history, by all peoples of all nations, but hiding particularly gruesome aspects of history helps no one: it is not about placing blame, rather it is about learning. A complete picture of history, or one that is as complete as possible creates a stronger, more knowledgeable nation.

Resources:

"Construction and Destruction." Asian Nation: Asian American History, Demographis & Issues. Asian-Nation.org. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Entry #7: Stereotypes of Men as Dumb in Video Advertisements

Recently while perusing a blog site dumbmen.com,  I came upon a collection of videos the author perceives as stereotyping men as dumb. The site itself is unorganized, with many broken links of videos that have been deleted, require a viewer to login to youtube, or of videos that are private and therefore not visible. To the credit of the creator, it seems they have not updated the blog since around mid 2014, perhaps not noticing the viewing status of some of the videos. Even so, navigation on the site is not extensively user-friendly. There is no overall organization scheme and finding a specific post or video is a matter of scrolling until it is found or knowing the key words mentioned to conduct a search.

The language from the author in the description/analysis of the videos at times ranges from relying on other stereotypes in defense of the stereotype they're presenting as an issue of men being shown as being dumb, to resorting to the use of swearing. Both the stereotypes and swearing used by the author, rely on vilifying  the image of women used in some of the videos. For example in some of the video descriptions, the blog site author states that yet again, women are being portrayed as the "typical smart wife/woman" with an implied negative connotation, while the husband/man is showcased as dumb. This brings forth the question: Is the author trying to say that the wife/women in the ads shouldn't be shown as smart and instead the husband/men should take the role of being presented as knowledgeable... all the time? Some of the videos though, do show the wife/women being mean, instead of primarily knowledgeable, which makes the author's point without the need for derogatory terms.

The method the author employs to get the message across of men being portrayed as dumb or incapable, by in some instances using negative verbiage, does not to me, seem as the best mode of operation. But there are some videos that clearly showcase the message website is trying to get across. The following are three examples from the blog site dumbmen.com and my personal analysis.

In the video above, an advertisement for The Sun Herald, a newspaper agency is promoting a free first aid kit apparently to potential newspaper reading customers. It portrays a man in a kitchen as being completely inept and unable to use a toaster, while clumsily becoming injured by his lack of experience with kitchen appliances and their locations. To tend to his minor injuries he would need a first aid kit, which according to the ad, he could have had if only he had subscribed to the newspaper and received a kit of his own. This ad relies on the stereotype that men don't know their way around a kitchen and have little to no knowledge in the operation of common household appliances.

This ad also takes place in a kitchen where a man is again portrayed as inept with kitchen appliances such as a simple mixer. The man decides to lick the beaters used to mix brownies, and when he does he gets his tongue stuck in the mixer that then turns on, apparently either injuring his tongue or cutting part of it off. The ad which is for Dairy Queen, an ice cream store, concludes that shopping at their store to satiate a craving of brownie batter is much safer for men, especially those that attempt to lick the brownie batter of the mixer. This ad also relies on the notion that men have limited knowledge in using kitchen utensils. 

This ad shows a man who is ordering a light beer, but makes it known that he doesn't care how it tastes. The bartender tells him that when he loses the purse he's carrying, and therefore starts caring about taste, then he'll get a "Miller Lite." The ad goes on to imply that the man has to "man up" in order to be worthy of the advertised beer. The ad relies on the stereotype that a piece of cloth (or whatever material it is) with a strap that goes over the shoulder used as a tool for carrying a person's belongings, is strictly a woman "thing." Therefore using this logic, and assuming that all "things" associated with stereotypes of women are unfavorable, then this man is also unfavorable and unworthy of a "respectable" beer of apparently superior taste reserved only for "real men" who don't use purses/satchels/bags...etc.

These three videos found on dumbmen.com are ones I agree with on being demeaning to men and limiting the scope in which they're viewed in society as what they're capable of, and who they can be. In contrast, the following two videos also found on the same blog site are ones I wouldn't classify as being ardently demeaning and bashing the image of men as dumb.

In this ad, a recent hire on his first day of work, who also has an MBA degree is recruited to help with a seemingly menial task of shipping packages on an overly busy day. The man says that because he is an MBA, he shouldn't be doing such a task. The boss, tells him jokingly, that since he has an MBA, then she'll have to show him how to do it. On dumbmen.com, the blog author concludes that the caustic factor evidencing portraying men as dumb is that the boss is a woman and is in a way "emasculating" the man (because apparently a woman can't be a boss?), by joking around that since he has an MBA, then he'll have to be taught how to complete a simple shipping task. The blog author is too quick to make conclusions in this case. This ad could be portraying and making fun of any recent grad who goes out to the workforce thinking they're above monotonous, menial tasks because of their prestigious degrees. This ad was even kind of funny.

This ad shows a dad who tries imitating the lifestyle of kids the age of his daughter. He gets a new haircut, new clothes and video chats with the daughters boyfriend. This ad to me does not demean men or stereotype them as dumb. If it does anything, it seems it's stereotyping the dad in the category of "parents" who try to be "hip" and "cool" to fit in with their kids or connect with them by sharing common interests.

All in all, yes, there does seem to be a problem with how men are sometimes portrayed in advertisements as being dumb, inept and/or incapable. The blog site mentioned throughout does present some videos that clearly portray this issue. But at the same time, some of the videos aren't truly male bashing, and some of the descriptions by the author instead bash the portrayal of women, or what they're capable of (being a boss, for example). Using negative stereotypes to illustrate or try to dismantle another stereotype, does not seem like the best, most logical, rational method. The main point, for me at least, is that we should try to see each other as equals and capable of much, regardless of gender. To achieve this, maybe advertisements should be abolished? Okay, maybe that's a far reach, but I too concluded that there is an issue with how certain groups are represented.

EC Entry:Michael Moore’s film Capitalism: A Love Story

Recently while watching Michael Moore's Film: Capitalism: A Love Story in class we were presented with the idea of capitalism and its effect on the middle class in America. The film showed tragic, emotionally charged stories of people who lost their homes because of inability to continue their payments. It showed individuals whose family members had been insured on by their employer under the dead peasant insurance, where they were worth a plethoric amount more to their employers dead than alive. The film also portrayed automotive workers like Michael Moore's father who were affected by the downfall of the auto industry in their town and as a result lost their well-paying jobs. Michael Moore went on to state how much capitalism has dwindled the middle class and some causes for its demise in the U.S., such as the auto industry expansion in Japan and Germany. Personally, while I do agree with some of the points made, such as voting being important, I can't take the film too seriously. It is too emotionally packed, and focuses too much on making the viewer (at least trying) feel deep emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration and then abruptly and continuously interrupts the emotive segments with straight-forward, "cut to the chase" facts. Also the major reason for why my personal indifference to the validity of the film is that it focuses largely in part on the struggles of middle class white Americans during the 20th century, but for the most part ignores the struggles of other Americans during that time. This missing history that obviously intertwined to create the conditions and results that arose, make me question his credibility as showing multiple viewpoints of the point he's trying to make. For this reason it's not a film I would recommend as being complete. Of course, there is also the consideration to be taken, that I am perhaps not Michael Moore's intended audience, but as an objective viewer who can extrapolate I don't see this film as all encompassing.

Entry #6: Autism, Emotions and Facial Expressions

Recently I've been experiencing the world through the eyes of a child with autism. This child that I know, who I see with some regularity, has, like many other children with autism, begun questioning emotions and facial expressions associated with them. We have recently begun playing a game, (the child's own idea) where we try to make different facial expressions and then guess the expression the other is making (the guessing was my idea). During one of these games, I offered to help the child with the expression of sadness by showing on their face how to lift and "scrunch" the middle area above the nose and between the eyebrows upwards and to the middle, and how to downturn the corners of the mouth. Now, oftentimes, when it's the child's turn, there is a pause and then I'm asked to help mold the expression on their face with my hands.

Examples of different human facial expressions.

We're still working on it, but over time, the child has increased the amount of eye contact with me and others, (perhaps partially because of the face expression guessing games we play); something that those around children with autism can attest to being difficult for them.

Another task that seems to be difficult is their ability to understand behaviors of others and any emotion they may be expressing. For example, I've observed with this child that certain videos, books, stories, etc that show societal customs or expectations can be difficult to comprehend but at the same time can be vastly intriguing. For example, recently while watching a cartoon video on making friends, the child would continually rewind to the part where one of the characters approached another "sad" character sitting alone and asked if they wanted to be friends; the fascination with the situation presented was clearly evident.

Another time while we were reading a book, (about a dog who was sad and being comforted by a friend by being given a hug), the child asked many questions about what was happening: why the dog was sad, what is sadness (a constant, recurring question in our interactions- among with other emotions), why was the friend giving the dog a hug, what did the hug do, did the dog still feel sad?; and wanted to keep flipping back to that page to see the picture again. Later on while we were attempting to build card structures, mine fell down. I was "devastated" as the probably best ever card building to ever exist tumbled down into a pile. I figured this was a good time to overact the emotion to benefit the child.

There is much frustration and sadness when the best ever card tower falls down.

To my surprise the child hugged me and said it would be okay and offered to help me with the rebuilding; a small victory.

These interactions have fueled questions for me. On one side, what resources are available to teach children with autism to learn to "read" emotions. I stumbled on a few. One of them is a Samsung app named "Look At Me" that seems to offer (haven't tried it myself) the children games where making eye contact is the goal. The app is also made to increase their ability to recognize facial expression and emotions through the interactive games. Samsung touts a 60% increase in children users ability to perform these tasks (Woollaston). Another site, educateautism.com offers printables of emotion charts, drawing of facial expressions, and games.

Another question I had, is why does someone like me, who is not an overly emotive person. For who expressing emotions is not a primary concern, and who prefers logic over emotion any day; can still identify emotions, facial expressions in others with ease. What is different in our brains. What is the difference between the brain of a child with autism, someone who is a very emotively in tune and expresses those emotions freely, and someone somewhere in the middle like me (but arguably much more on the logical not emotive side) who can identify the traits with ease, and can pretend/imitate the facial expressions/emotions but in general life doesn't make grand and repetitive use of them? If there is a difference, where is the origin? Brain structure? A quick internet research will reveal that there is evidence that the amygdala plays a starring role in the processing of emotions. Is that where the difference lies? Or is it overall chemical activity in the brain influenced perhaps by experiences or general wiring structure and development of the brain?

I don't know that answer yet, but it is enthralling and intriguing to see how humans (and other species) differ so vastly yet are so intrinsically similar in this and many other aspects. But what really fascinates me is how and why these differences come about and how they influence every aspect of our life, history and future as individuals and as a species. Ultimately with more knowledge we could learn to better understand ourselves and each other; that could be good or maybe not, but that's a topic for another time.






Sources:
Woollaston, Victoria. "Could This App Help Autistic Children? Samsung's 'Look At Me' Helps Sufferers Make Eye Contact and Read Emotions." Daily Mail.com: Science. Dailymail.com, 23 Dec. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2885042/Could-app-help-autistic-children-Samsung-s-Look-helps-sufferers-make-eye-contact-read-emotions.html>. 





Picture sources:
Happy facial expression: www.yodesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/happy-face.jpg
Disgusted facial expression: www.sentiment.christopherpotts.net/figures/emotion-ekman-faces.png
Angry facial expression: www.business.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_popup/public/2015/04/14/london-property06.jpg
Scared facial expression: www.awaypoint.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/worried-man-with-pill-male-birth-control.jpg
Worried facial expression: www.hecticparents.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/upset-black-woman-white-background.jpg
Sad facial expression: www.encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJAx4nAEUDsKDDntGjpBmHMeMnNrvNbkRHdY0ZUhj-O9Ksq6TS-vlnO4M
Card building: www.previews.123rf.com/images/zerbor/zerbor1207/zerbor120700003/14341341-collapsing-house-of-cards-Stock-Photo.jpg