"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.

"Kenyon Commencement Speech" by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2005 at Kenyon University. Normally, commencement speeches are positive and happy; insinuating that all college graduates' lives that now begin will be nothing but a bright filled future, and that all of their wishes, dreams, and goals will be achieved. This is not the case with David Foster Wallace. He is frank and honest with the graduating class of 2005 by simply stating this:" Life is hard. You just have to deal with it." Although, David does not say this as kindly as he could have. He goes to great extent when talking about how people can take either a negative outlook on things, or a positive outlook. Usually people take a negative outlook, focusing everything around themselves. David says this is due to our natural or "default" settings. People tend to want instant gratification, and we will do anything to get it. Anyone who happens to get in our way or ruin our plans are just complete jerks who don't care about us in the slightest. Why does this sixteen year old check out clerk have to be so bad at her job? Why does this eighty year old driver in front of me have to be going so slow?! Clearly they have no idea I'M in a hurry and I can do all of this better and than everyone else. After giving examples like those, David then turns his speech around entirely. He tells the graduating class that even though our tendency is to have these thoughts; we have the choice to be happy and to put our love into action. We have the freedom to think twice about what we may think, say, or do. David says real freedom is being educated, an that education teaches you how to think.
I wish I could have been there to hear David give this speech and to be able to look around at everyone's facial reactions to the words coming out of his mouth. It totally crosses the line of what a "normal" commencement speech sounds like! I mean, who ACTUALLY says what they are thinking? Much less in front of a graduating class and their entire families? I appreciated David's blunt-ness. As abnormal as the speech was, it speaks the absolute truth to me. The main point that David Foster Wallace is trying to sell is peace. He is trying to say give peace a chance. If us people as a population weren't so hostile and self centered, there would be greater opportunities for our very high earning college education to be lived out in everyday life. There is so much depression, war, envy, and anger in this world. We may not be able to help with every world conflict, but our little interactions can become chain reactions.
For example,  simple sign of peace would be to smile and say hello to someone you are next to in the bank line or by pushing in your chair and saying thank you to the waiter when you leave a restaurant. Smiling and being kind to someone might be the only kind thing they hear or see all day, and it can cause a chain reaction- kindness progressing from person to person.
I appreciated David Foster Wallace's honesty in his commencement speech to Kenyon. Honesty can be  very refreshing because it is something we don't hear all that often. I took his message to heart, and I only hope that the Kenyon class of 2005 did as well. Give peace a chance, its wonders are amazing.

"Old Faithful" By David Sedaris

David Sedaris' Old Faithful is his tale of what he finds to be "true love." In his narrative, Sedaris begins by stating that he has a boil located directly on his tailbone. He describes that at the time he and his partner were currently residing in London, and the reason he did not want his boil to be treated is because a doctor's visit would be beyond expensive. Although the boil is an extreme nuisance and is quite painful, David does not complain the slightest bit. He compares himself to his partner Hugh, who complains about every paper cut and bug bite he ever got. Whilst comparing injuries, David then reminisces about his old partner, his family, and how crazy they were. He realizes that there were so many things in that relationship, and that starting a new relationship is like opening a new package- the person is new, shiny, and fun to be with!
Contemplating his new relationship, they review their similar interests, dislikes, pet peeves, and fears. It seems to be going great! Until after a while, when it seems like there is nothing to talk about. David even reads the newspaper before going out for a dinner date with Hugh. They are like the old couple silently eating their meal in a restaurant.  But over time, the two come to the realization that having a stable relationship doesn't necessarily mean that conversation ALWAYS has to be had. This is exemplified through the phone conversation when they talk about both having consumed potato chips that day. That literally was the extent of their conversation, but neither hang up. They enjoy each other's presence, not necessarily every word said aloud.
As the story draws to a close, we are taken back to the fact that David is still stuck with a boil located on his bottom, and he has not yet sought treatment. One night, Hugh unexpectedly suggests to "lance" said boil off of David. Hugh bravely takes care of the problem, telling David that the boil was more of a pain to him than it was to David. They both survive the horrendous sight and stench and return to bed. David then gives Hugh the nickname '' Sir Lance-A-Lot" even though neither of them planned on doing that more than once. Hugh takes the nickname upon, knowing that he will be there to do it again if necessary at any point in the rest of their lives; when eventually THEY will be the old monogamous couple.
This story relates to me because although I have never been in a relationship, I have experienced the closest thing to it- being able to witness my brother and sister-in-law's marriage. I lived with my brother, sister-in-law, and their dog, Jed, for a month. Each day I would arrive home from school, take Jed for his walk, and then shortly after that Tommy and Christina would arrive home at about the same time. The greeting each early evening would be "Hey." "Hi!" The two would then retire their bags and work items, and then fall into the seats of the couch cushions in exhaust. There would be silence as Jed would be flooded from attention from all three of us; until I would pipe in "So how was your day?" Tommy would always respond back first. "Uhh… okay I guess." I didn't even have to ask Christina, she was always eager to say "Well my day was awful. The only reason I keep this job is because every spring I get a raise, and when I think about quitting in the fall I get a promotion." Then we would resume our silence, I would mumble something about doing homework and leave, but the two would sit together smiling, just petting Jed and enjoying each other's presence.
In the portion of the story where David and Hugh are talking on the phone solely about coincidentally having potato chips for lunch but neither wanted to hang up, I was reminded of Tommy and Christina. It isn't even the fact that the two of them can enjoy meals together in silence, or just make minimal small talk conversation, but also that throughout the day they will gmail chat each other about things totally irrelevant, but still enjoy the conversations. The point that I am trying to get across here is that actions speak louder than words. David and Hugh can enjoy hearing each other while filling up time talking about chips. Tommy and Christina can enjoy each other's humor while filling up time talking about different bed comforters and duvets.
Love is a universal language that can be spoken by all. It appears in the media as always being perfect, with regular conversations always had, and no problems ever. That is a false statement. There will be ups and downs, and topics of conversation that you never thought possible. Each couple is their own "Sir Lance-A-Lot," and hopefully no couple will ever have to brave their own boil.

"Error at first base" by Mike Birbiglia

In Mike Birbiglia's comedic story entitled "Error at first base," he tells about his quest to have his first kiss- in the seventh grade. He realizes that kids in his class are in fact, making out with other kids in his class. At first he is opposed to such activity, but then gradually he realizes that he does in fact want to make out with girls. He realizes he can accomplish this through humor- he is a funny guy who can make girls laugh! He takes this girl named Lisa Bennetti out to the carnival on a Friday night. It was supposed to be just like a romantic comedy movie- they would go on a ride, he would win her a stuffed bear, and then they would have moment together that they would remember forever. The first problem to arrive is that Mike is a nervous eater, so he stuffed himself with food prior to the date. Next, they went on the ride entitled "The Scrambler," which is a ride that spins in a circular motion over and over and over again. Combining both of those activities, this made Mike really ill, resulting in him vomiting on Lisa. Needless to say, he did not have his first kiss.
When Mike made his way to a male only high school, he realized that he was one of very few, if not the only, guy there who had not had his first kiss. Therefore, in order to feel better about himself and try to fit in, he lies about his "sexual experiences." He tells his friends that he has made out with several girls, and acts as if it is not really a big deal. Later in the school year he takes this girl named Sonya to a school dance. Finally his time for his first kiss has come! They kiss, and well it is not such a great experience. To end the story, his friends consults him about that the next day at school. Mike doesn't know how to respond with anything except humor, so he responds back "I know! It's kind of my thing to be a bad kisser!" His friend then responds back to him by saying "Me too!"
I really enjoyed Mike's story because I can relate very well to this story, and I know many people who can also relate. I myself am a very awkward individual who just wants to fit in. Through high school,  I had a hard time fitting in with various groups of friends. Even though I though we had the same characteristics, it would somehow end up being that I was the odd woman out, always managing to be the on disagreeing on thoughts, actions, etc. I just so badly wanted to recognize my identity and find people who would appreciate me for that. Doesn't everybody want that same thing?
So when I got to college, it was a fresh new start for me! It was great! There was no one there to judge me about what I would do, who I would talk to, or what clubs I would join. (Well, there were a few but to be honest I didn't care what they thought.) There is no need for me to be dishonest about anything, but to just be myself! In fact, my best friend and I bonded by blurting out our secrets to each other after only having been friends for about 12 hours! Overall, I agree with Birbiglia in the fact that humor can in fact make awkward situations less awkward, and that making a girl almost pee her pants laughing is indeed sexy.

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