"The Cruelty of Children"

"The Cruelty of Children" presented by this American Life showcases three different scenarios in which the topic of why children are/can be so mean to one another. The first presentation was by David Sedaris, an author who is homosexual, but in his story he tells how when he was growing up, he would make fun of gay kids in his class. He didn't want people to know he was homosexual and he just wanted to fit in with the other kids in his class. He wanted to conform in order to feel "cool" or "wanted."He was trying to be something he was not. He made fun of the other kids because he did not want to be made fun of in the same way. The second presentation was entitled The Well. This is a story in which the children chose not to help each other get out of their situation they were stuck in; which is an odd one leaving an old man to die in a well. It is done in a survival of the fittest method.  The third presentation was "You Can't Say You Can't Play." This is an experiment done in a kindergarten class to prevent bullying between kids. The idea came up from the teacher repeatedly hearing certain kids telling others that they can play together, but not others. The teacher made a list for the class of certain rules, so that playing between everyone would be fair. The first rule was you can't say you can't play-meaning everyone had to play with one another. The kids were left in disbelief, not being able to wrap that idea around their little heads. Kids were not to be excluded, but of course there will always be the "leftovers" the ones left out. As people move from grade to grade, mean-ness increases and the reasons are not valid. People are mean to each other due to previous relationships, people having "weird" characteristics, such as being quiet, gross, etc. It's hard for kids to assimilate,  some have clashing perspectives. This whole NPR podcast well exemplified that children are cruel to each other, for no valid reason besides bias, and learning over time that bullying is not the answer.

"Interview with Marie Howe"

Marie Howe's poems are so deeply personal and emotional. Her tone of voice is so gentle and soft when she reads them aloud, yet her words are so strong and confident. I can relate to these poems because my grandfather was close to me, and he passed away last year. Even if someone read these poems and did not have anyone close to them pass away, I think they would still be effected by Marie's poems. The way she slowly pronounces each word and syllable makes you really think about her message, especially when she reads "What the Living Do."When she read it, it made me feel bad about myself! I felt guilty for taking everyday things for granted, like having groceries to carry, a coat on my back, etc. I never really think about the fact that one day I will not have these things around me. She seems to be very calm and collected throughout her interview. I rarely know anyone who is as calm and tranquil as Marie. These people are great to talk to in today's busy, hectic society. They have their head on their shoulders and will help anyone in need. Our culture needs to slow down and relax, and people like Marie make that happen.

"Sweetness and Light" by Frank DeFord

"Sweetness and Light" by Frank DeFord is, in my opinion, is just one long complaint. It honestly sounded like Frank DeFord was simply stating his dispassion for the world series having seven games. This really didn't come off to me as an argument, as much as it was him stating different facts about different sports games and their championships. I will give Frank the fact that he did his research. This is proven when he dates back the best-of-seven format to 1984, and comparing today's economy to then in terms of purchasing tickets per game, providing more of an income. I am on his side about the MLB really having four too many games. Three would work just fine in my opinion, because by the time it comes around to the seventh game, I really have lost interest and just turn on the news the next morning to find out who won instead of staying up all night watching. I care about sports, and keep up with teams in general, but I am not on top of every statistic of every player. I really do not care that much. Although this was interesting to read by Frank DeFord, I really do not feel like it came off as a valid argument. It was just one long complaint. I would know, I complain like this every day. 

"Lights and Cans" by Sandro Chia

"Lights and Cans" by Sandro Chia is a colorful drawing atop a canvas. I would describe it as colorful divinity. The colors are a combination of blue, green, yellow, red, and slight pink. The colors are mixed in an arrangement that are almost in a plaid design. There is a man sketched in black holding a yellow torch with his arm outstretched, making it appear as if he was headed into the colorful bliss. At his feet are a different arrangement of cans, also sketched in black. The date on this drawing is 1981, and the place is in Italy. I saw this particular drawing at the Cincinnati Art Museum.
I liked this particular piece because the design of the colors immediately grabbed my attention. As I continued to study this piece, I was intrigued by the cans near the sketched man's feet. I could not figure out why there were cans in this drawing, when it looks like the man holding the torch is about to head into the bright filled future.  Was he leaving his past behind, "kicking the cans?" That is the main reason why I liked tho drawing so much, because of the mystery behind it. Due to the time this was drawn, I believe  it was supposed to be symbolic of the new millennium ahead.

Pepsi Lime Advetisement

The pepsi advertisement has a white, clean  background as what looks to be a kitchen wall. It then shows an open pepsi bottle with a lime standing on top, looking like it is urinating in a glass full of regular flavored pepsi. The lime is standing up and urinating, in the same stance that a male usually would.
The audience for this advertisement would be men who consume soft drinks. Humor is being used in the fact that this ad is specifically directed toward men with the stance of the lime urinating into the glass. Women are usually not seen drinking soft drinks, and there is nothing really directed towards them in this specific ad. The color scheme makes the ad effective because the entire products' name is Pepsi Twist. The twist is brought out by the bright lime green contrasting from the boring, white background. It definitely is not an average soft drink advertisement, and therefore people are more likely to remember this ad.

"What's Love Got To Do With It?" by Andjula Razdan

"What's Love Got To Do With It?" is a story told by Andjula Razdan. She writes about how her parents were brought together by an arranged marriage in India, but she was raised in America, and she herself believes in love and then the concept of marriage. She believes that the idea of an arranged marriage was offending to both love and liberty. Taking that away was like taking away her democracy. She then examines love in today's society and takes a look at where western civilization has taken us. She discovers that people do not necessarily know what they are doing when they are picking their "soulmate." We tend to pick a mate based off of looks and not characteristics. That isn't going to do anyone any good in the long run in terms of being happy forever. Arranged marriages on the other hand prove to work because they promote accountability and rational deliberation ahead of instinct.
A rising trend for people to possibly meet their soul mates is online dating. These websites such as E-Harmony match your personality with other people who have the same personality, likes, dislikes, etc. I feel these websites have changed the way people find true love. When two people are celebrating their marriage and someone asks "How did you two meet?" Usually you are not expecting to hear "the internet." You are probably expecting to hear a romantic story or a funny anecdote of the two meeting in real life. I feel when people use these sites, sure they may be accurate and helpful, but there is no spark! There physically could not have been love at first sight, unless you count seeing someone's profile picture as so.
I also feel as though online dating services are like cheat sheets for courting someone. You are supposed to meet the person several times and get to know the gradually. Not look over all of their favorite bands and movies (so you have something to talk about) before you dash out of the house to pick him or her up for dinner at his or her favorite restaurant listed online. That is not right to me! Although I have never had a romantic relationship in my life before, I stand by what I said above in terms of how I met all of my friends. I am still getting to know them everyday! Even the ones I have known for 18 years!
Although statistics may prove that online dating does in fact work for some people, I am against it. Go out into the real world and find your true love, they are waiting for you somewhere, it is one big game of hide and seek.

"How to Land Your Kid in Therapy" by Lori Gottlieb

"How to Land Your Kid in Therapy" by Lori Gottlieb talks about how easy it is for any set of parents to easily screw their kid(s) up. Parents range from the best friend set of parents- allowing their kids to do whatever they want whenever they want in order to appear cool in order for their kids to like them, to the helicopter parents who hover over every aspect of their children's lives, making sure they are the perfect chill who will transform into the perfect teenager who will one day be the perfect adult.
This issue relates to every human being who exists. Parents will be parents. Personally I find this whole issue hypocritical because parents are all going to have very different types of parenting methods . There is nothing that can be done about that. It exists in society today and will continue to exist until the rapture of the world happens! (Which has been re-scheduled for October 21, 2011 but that's another issue.) Just because psychologist and psycho analysts point out the fact that parents are screwing up their kids, that doesn't mean anything. All it really does is get said parents frustrated, along with their kids who wonder "Really? What is wrong with me? If anything is wrong with me, it's definitely not my fault. My parents raised me, they did this to me!"
The phrase "mother knows best" is really taken to heart. Every mother thinks she knows everything about what will ever be the best for her child and therefore caters her lifestyle in order for the best for them. Just because a psychologist points out that a mother might be "loving her child too much," that is not going to stop her. That woman really does love her child and probably does smother them too much, but nothing is going to change. She is going to continue to act in the same manner towards her kid for 18 years until he or she ventures off to college, and both the mother and the child are forced to learn the hard way what separation really is. Another example is the helicopter parent. They too will eventually learn that they cannot control every single aspect of their child's life after they leave for college. There has to be a point in time where the cliche "bird has to fly away from the nest." But that time isn't now, is it? No, let's be overbearing and annoying.
I feel as though the only way to fix this problem is for parents to actually listen to what self help they have requested. But they do not, and the cycle of life continues. Screwed up kids have weekly visits to psychologists, psychologists take notes of them and mentor young growing families, but the families do not listen, and eventually evolve into those same 20 something's crying on the couch. I hate to sound so cynical in this blogject, but I feel this is very true! We live in the United States of America where we can fix all of our problems ourselves. We don't need anyone else's opinion ever, and if it is given to us; who are they? They don't know us! How can they tell us to live our lives? What I'm trying to get across is that everyone is screwed up. Psychologists chose their profession for a reason. Just because we inform people of what we think, it doesn't mean that we necessarily are going to take their advice. Crazy parents will be around for the eternity of time, we just have to deal with them and their crazy kids.