Text Response

For this week’s text response, I chose to read the Newspaper column "What's Up Doc? A Bloody Outrage, That's What" by Katherine Ellison.  In this article, the author writes about an Internet cartoon called Happy Tree Friends. It is a cartoon that is about small animals that are very cheery dancing around until a bear wearing dog tags and camouflage that has suffered an apparent psychotic breakdown starts killing off all the innocent animals.  When the writer talked with the executive producer, he actually compared this gruesome cartoon to the well-known Tom & Jerry.  The fact that he would relate a cartoon that has a conscience compared to a cartoon that pulls knives or tears off heads and uses someone's intestines to strangle another like Happy Tree Friends does is atrocious.  A neuroscientist, Marc Iacoboni stated, “Not only do you get exposed and desensitized; you’re primed, facilitated, almost invited to act that way.”  This statement makes a lot of sense to me because I have a six-year-old nephew who I have personally taken away gruesome games from.  I can see how he acts more aggressively especially after I make him play outdoors instead of playing a game online.  The games I have seen him play are very dangerous and harmful.  One game actually allowed him to pick whatever type of weapon he wanted to assault and kill others with.  Other families and parents allow their children to continue to play these horrendous games.  What is going to happen when kids get bored with games and then start to take it out on others?  Oh wait, we already know.  It is called bullying.  A lot of children from the beginning of school through their entire lives get bullied and it is not the easiest thing to get past.  In all reality, no one can pin point why exactly bullying begins they can just state theories. However, what if this is one of those reasons and parents are standing by allowing their children to continue on the hateful trend?  It breaks my heart when my nephew comes home telling me about how he is picked on and I would try anything to end the trend.

Week 8 - Poor Parenting at its Finest.

Today I came across an article that talks about how some parents are suing Google after their children racked up in-app bills.  When purchasing games and apps in the Google Play store you have to enter a password, once this is done the user has a 30-minute window that allows you to make purchases without a password.  A New Yorker mother was shocked to find this out when her five-year-old son ran up $66 in games.  The author then talks about how games should not unfairly manipulate children into spending money. 

Honestly, this article is outrageous.  The fact that some woman is trying to sue Google over something she could’ve avoided if she had been paying closer attention to her son.  The lack of attentiveness is a sign of poor parenting.  Even with this, the fact that the mother blames Google vice herself is absurd. Take responsibility for your actions lady! When I say your actions I mean you should be devoting your attention to your five-year-old son, who should be out playing with other children instead of playing on technology.  Children playing on technology are the most common trend these days in which the parents have allowed.  The fact that parents have the audacity to blame others for their failures is foolish. 

Week 7 Text Response - What Rights?

After reading through a couple columns in chapter 19 about freedom of expression in the 21^st century, I came across an article I can really relate too and partially agree with. A Little Civility, Please, by Mark Davis, talks about how in schools you cannot wear certain types of clothing that can be “disruptive” in the class basically on the guidelines of possibly offending someone.  The columnist speaks of a junior in high school who wore a t-shirt that had the face of President Bush with the words “International Terrorist” framed around his face.  He was ordered to turn his shirt inside out and go home from school.  This all happened because of how someone was “offended” by a t-shirt.  Davis stated “Most people have shed the absurd notion that an 11^th grader in a public school has the exact same First Amendment rights as an adult in the outside world.” (Argument! 343).  This statement speaks for the whole column because it is so true and outrageous at the same time.  From the beginning of our adolescent years we as Americans have had our rights taken from us with out really even noticing it.  It all starts in schools where they are trying to teach you “right from wrong” and how to progress through life successfully. When in all reality, school are teaching you to allow someone to control you and basically mold you into not taking a stance and fighting for your rights because there will be consequences even though you are not doing anything wrong?  When will it stop? The government has allowed schools to take away your freedom of speech but telling you what you can and cannot wear or say.  Even after graduation into the “outside world”, the government is slowly taking away our rights.