Race and Sports

We talked about race in class and how it relates to athletes and why some people of a different race are better than other. For instance, African Americans are better at basketball, but not because they are black, but because of the environment that they grow up in and the lifestyles that they live. Some things are biological because of genes passed on, but most of it is environment. But race itself does not determine who is better at what sport. It is more nurture that determines the outcome of what type of person is good at what sport.

30 Days at Minimum Wage

In the show that we watched in class, Morgan Sperlock spends 30 days with his fiance living on minimum wage in Ohio. He sees what its like to struggle to work long hours and then have to come home to relatively nothing. Everyday is a struggle and they basically start over every morning when they have to go to work to support themselves. The greatest challenge that they have is a similar problem in todays America. Health care. Their medical bills cost them several days pay which sets them back for the month tremendously. People all over the country living in poverty face the same problem. Just to walk into a hospital costs them money if they do not have affordable health care. It's extremely unfortunate but thats the way of life for too many hard working American people today.

The Bar Scene

In the movie that we watched, the scene at the bar where the suburban people came to hang out with the "blue-collar" people in the city, I realized that the people from the suburbs were only using the "blue-collar" label as an excuse to party and act out of character. They know they cant act like that at home so they have to go where that behavior is acceptable. what is their true character, how they act at home? Or how they act when they are allowed to behave how they want to? They are being fake and putting on an act somewhere, either in the bar or at home. its terrible and they need to find their true character and stick with that.

30 Days

The episode of 30 Days that we watched in class was very interesting. Morgan Spurlock spends 30 days in a jail to see what it would be like if he were imprisoned. During his time he learns about subcultures and different ways of life within the prison. He is able to make friends and adapt to the environment, although at times it is extremely difficult. For instance, when he is in isolation for 72 hours, he struggles to keep his composure and keep his piece of mind. The people he meets in jail are troubled, but they seem like good people. Unfortunately when they get out, they are arrested again and they end up right back in jail. This is how our society is as well. The majority of the people in jail end up going back in after they are released. Something has gotta change.

Drug Deception

The drug game that we played in class should really put into perspective how bad drugs really are. But not just the illegal ones like cocaine, heroine, and marijuana. Drugs like nicotine (cigarettes), and alcohol have symptoms as horrible or worse than the major drugs. Yet, somehow they are still legal and millions of people use them and die from them everyday. people need to do some thinking and either legalize all the drugs like cocaine and heroine, or make illegal the drugs like alcohol and nicotine. Our country contradicts itself and becomes the biggest hypocrite of all when they say don't smoke pot, it leads to trouble, but they advertise cigarettes. Things need to change.

Tough Guise

After watching Tough Guise, i realized how hard it can be for guys to live up to the standards and expectations that society has set for all males in general. There is this tough persona that all guys have to put on or they will be labeled as sissys or wussys. That is completely true. If a guy cries, he is made fun of. If a guy is not good at sports or is not strong, he is made fun of. Guys must fit the mold or they will have a tough time fitting in. It's sad but its the truth.

Bowling for Columbine

In class we watched an amazing movie by Michael Moore called, Bowling for Columbine. The movie talks about the shooting at Columbine High School and also other shooting tragedies around the country. Moore sheds light on the issues facing our country with cultural pressures and gun laws/policies/habits. In the movie, he talks about how our culture is a very violent culture by nature. He compares us to Canada, and we are far more violent than them, despite the fact that we own the same proportion of guns as them. I found the most interesting thing of the movie was when Moore went to Canada and tested the idea that nobody locks their front doors. It was true ad i thought about how crazy that was. I always lock my front door and I don't know of many people who don't. But, then again, that is our culture that he is talking about. Violence is pushed and fear is soaked into the minds of Americans everyday. Canadians don't face these problems because their news broadcasts are about new speed bumps! I thought this was a very interesting movie that made a lot of sense and highlighted the important issues that our country faces with its culture and society today.