American Life

1.) If an international student transfered to IUP, there would be many things that would come across as different in compared to what they saw on TV or in the movies.  One thing that is really different in real life in compared to the movies is people in general.  Movies are supposed to exaggerate real life in order for it to look more appealing.  This goes for actors as well.  Actors that portray high school or college students usually do not resemble what real life students look like or act like.  Another thing that is different from the movies are the parties. In any party scene in a movie, such as American Pie or Superbad, it is viewed as just another party.  However, if these parties were real, they would be the greatest/funnest parties in the entire world.  Parties are nothing like they are portraid to be on the big screen.

2.)  Americans value time each and every day.  We want to make the most of our time and make sure that each second is spent the right way.  When we are expected to be somewhere at a particular time, it is important for us to arrive around that time, otherwise you will be considered rude and inconsiderate of other people’s time.  I believe that this is true because of history.  It has always been a part of American life to value each day, hour, minute that we have.

3.) Americans view interupptions as rude and inconsiderate.  This is the case because a conversation in the eyes of an American is the back-and-forth of conveying thoughts and ideas in one’s own language.  Therefore, it is viewed as rude to interupt somewhen when expressing their own thoughts.  I, however, do not find this to be rude.  As long as if i can get my two cents in after being interupted, it usually doesnt bother me.  However, if someone doesnt let me speak my mind and keeps rambling on and on then i get annoyed.

4.) One thing that i find to be interesting is the sentence that states, “The United States is a higher individualistic culture and respect is based on individual accomplishments and tends to define status more than age, tradition or family background”.  Because i am an American and have lived here my entire life, i never really thought about this topic.  in other countries and cultures, repsect is usally based off of age or tradition. 

Learning From Ladakh and The Global Village

Evaluating the Text

1.) In today’s society, people’s relationships with others are often distorted because we are now “money hungry”.  This can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing.  Being money hungry can be viewed as a good thing because it can encourage people to work hard, make a living, and be successful.  The negative aspect of this is that it can make or break the relationships people have with each other.  When people are money hungry, they do what ever it takes to make that extra dollar and potentially be more successful which makes them dependent on things that they didn’t even know existed. For example, when one is getting his or her first cell phone, it is very exciting.  Before the cell phone, one could easily use a home phone or even borrow someone else’s cell if needed.  Once that person has bought a cell phone and realized how often he or she uses it, they become dependent on it.  

Extending the Text

2.) One thing that i didnt know until after reading the article is that the world around us is changing and adapting to the American way of life and America is changing into other countries.  it really shocked me when i read that Los Angelas is now teaching 82 different languages in it’s schools.  I think that it is very important for us to try and globalize our world therefore things such as war and pollution.

3.)  Positive: Stop global warming and war

      Negative:  Lack of independence and creativity 

Eating Disorders

I think that the social media plays a big role on people’s perspective on body image.  Magazines such as People and Men’s Health definitely have an affect on how people see themselves.  We often want to be or look like the celebrities that are in the magazines we buy and the movies and TV we watch.  This is most commonly found in young teen girls.  They strive to look their favorite Hollywood actress, even if it comes down to them throwing up everything they eat.  Everyone is beautiful in their own way.  There is absolutely no need for people to hurt themselves just to look a certain way

Yes, i think that Americans definitely have a different expectation for body image. Because of the Hollywood stars that are always popping up in magazines or on TV look the way they do, we as a society tend to rather look like them then ourselves.  As stated in the article, the country of Fiji just received television stations within the past 10 years.  Since then, eating disorders have become more frequent among young adults.  This, however, is no coincidence.  Being exposed to these gorgeous Hollywood movie stars increases the tendency for young adults to develop eating disorders in hopes to look like the stars they see.

Macho Men

1.) The first thing that comes to mind when i hear masculine is having big muscles.  People workout and lift in order for them to get bigger and look more “manly” if you will.  I just think that is embedded into our minds as men to act strong and to never show our weaknesses therefore men try to make them selves look better by having bigger muscles.  Another thing that comes to mind is having a beard.  Having a good full beard really makes a man look more masculine.  Throughout history and even in the media, people with beards usually show some type of masculinity and even if they don’t, they still look manly because of the hair on their face.  A third thing that comes to mind when i hear the word masculine is being strong-willed.  its embedded in our minds that men should never show our weaknesses and to act as strong and tough as possible. We “need” to be as tough mentally as physically.

2.) One reason why American men are pressured to act masculine is because we are very competitive.  Men are always trying to out do each other in what ever the occasion is and when we lose or show a weakness, we are criticized against.  I don’t think that this is harmful because with competition comes improvement and we all have room in us for a little bit improvement.  Another reason why we are pressured to act manly is because of the past.  Like i already stated, throughout history men have always tried to be the best and to act as tough as possible when necessary. So, as we grow up, we watch our fathers and how they act in certain situations.  We learn from them.  We strive to be like them.  And before we know it, we are going to be the manly ones doing the manly things in front of our children.  

Macho Men

1.) The first thing that comes to mind when i hear masculine is having big muscles.  People workout and lift in order for them to get bigger and look more “manly” if you will.  I just think that is embedded into our minds as men to act strong and to never show our weaknesses therefore men try to make them selves look better by having bigger muscles.  Another thing that comes to mind is having a beard.  Having a good full beard really makes a man look more masculine.  Throughout history and even in the media, people with beards usually show some type of masculinity and even if they don’t, they still look manly because of the hair on their face.  A third thing that comes to mind when i hear the word masculine is being strong-willed.  its embedded in our minds that men should never show our weaknesses and to act as strong and tough as possible. We “need” to be as tough mentally as physically.

2.) One reason why American men are pressured to act masculine is because we are very competitive.  Men are always trying to out do each other in what ever the occasion is and when we lose or show a weakness, we are criticized against.  I don’t think that this is harmful because with competition comes improvement and we all have room in us for a little bit improvement.  Another reason why we are pressured to act manly is because of the past.  Like i already stated, throughout history men have always tried to be the best and to act as tough as possible when necessary. So, as we grow up, we watch our fathers and how they act in certain situations.  We learn from them.  We strive to be like them.  And before we know it, we are going to be the manly ones doing the manly things in front of our children.  

New Politics of Consumption

1.) I believe that a societal focus on buying material items could potentially create alienation.  In today’s society, people are all about the new trends and buying what the newest/hottest product on the market is. People often buy the things that they want rather than the things that they need.  In this instance i believe that it creates isolation between the social classes because the higher classes are going to be buying all of the top-notch materials while the middle and lower class are content with what they already have.

2.) If the average salary increased i believe that it would help solve the problem of alienation. The main idea of alienation in this circumstance is that some Americans have a higher income than others which allows them to go out and buy more luxury items.  If the average salary would increase than there would be less competition to have those certain items.

3.) Three things that i believe influence competitive consumption are celebrities, tv/movies, and trends

4.)  In a way i believe that competitive consumption can be viewed as motivation for some people.  Obviously people have the desire for the luxurious items in the world such as cars, houses, boats, or any source of entertainment but of course, none of these things come easy in life. You have to work hard for it which gives us that motivation to achieve it.  Take my dad for example. He grew up in a little town right outside of Columbus, OH in a low income family and always had the desire to have his own pool one day.  He decided to not attend college after high school and instead travel around the eastern coast of the US building night clubs.  He made his way through life by working non-stop and eventually landed a nice job outside of the contracting field. The point is that he had the motivation in life to keep working hard because he truly wanted the nice things in life. He tells me all the time that nothing in this world comes easy and that you have to earn everything you make through hard-work and i believe him simply because I’ve seen it first hand with him.

Moral Machines

1.)  I believe that in my life time, it is very possible for an event like this to occur.  As you look back on technology and how it has progressed over the past twenty years or so, it is very impressive.  Nowadays, we have pocket sized computers, 3D movies, and excellent graphic video games.  Who is to say what the world of technology will be like in another twenty years.  If something catastrophic did occur, i believe that the public would blame the scientists that created these robots.  The public would view these robots as harmful and dangerous to the world because they are making decisions on their own that people should be making.

2.)  After reading this text, it is clear to me that as technology progresses, robots will be programmed to make their own moral decisions.  I, for one, believe that this will greatly impact our rule as humans. Humans were placed on this earth to live and communicate with other humans in order to live in harmony.  If there are robots that can do and think as we do then what separates us from them? 

3.) Positive: Cleaning the house, making food, help out doctors in the emergency room
     Negative:  Make unethical decisions, possibly break 1 of the 3 rules, etc

4.)  Yes, i experienced many times where a computer or machine has failed me.  For example, i was finishing up this exact blog at 11:45 and for no apparent reason it kicked me off the site, forcing me to start over and rush through it once again.  It did, however, make me realize how reliant we are on technology and how it frustrates us when it does not go how it was planned.