The NFL; a lesson in romanticizing

The moment we were assigned to uncovering an aspect of American life that is romanticized, one sporting organization in particular stood out from the rest. As the NFL has quickly gained ground as America's true pastime, the NFL advertising and promotions, partnered with the sports broadcasters intense coverage, make the NFL a perfect candidate for over rating and seemingly overzealous praise. 

The half-time show at the Super Bowl alone can show any person how much money and resources are poured into the NFL, and for the length and true dramatic effect of the spectacle, it just seems too much. 

But in a way, the NFL and its actions have made it appear romanticized for a while. From its roots in youth football, being seen as a sport of discipline and bravery, the heros that appear on Monday Night Football have certainly developed credibility from the people of America as individuals that can take a hit. But the mere hour of play seems to get way too much attention and praise than it deserves. Anyone who goes to an NFL stadium and views a game live sees the sport for its true elements, without the over-thought promotions and visuals. But to the majority of Americans who can't get tickets, they are forced to view the romanticized TV NFL, and its not nearly as good as the raw one.

What is Race, now?

It was during my third period class when I heard one of the most intriguing statements of the new year. Our class, which commonly gets off topic onto more "fun and relevant" topics, was talking about race. Before we could really get our words in, my teacher claimed that there is no such thing as race. No such thing as race? While I don't believe in attributing  any contrasts or differences onto others based on race, I feel like the teacher, given his or her position of ethos and impressionability should have provided a little more citation than "researchers say...". After all, I think that the message may have stuck on some of the students, and it is tickling me discuss what race really means. 

Race, in my definition, is the key attribute that helps determine the origin of a person. There is nothing more to it. 

A more expert definition of race, seen in the previous link, seems to sum it up as a "social construct", or something invented by people in order to classify and differentiate from people. So what does that leave for people trying to get a firm grip on what race is? I think it is wise to quote the words of one of our own AS teachers, Mr. Lawler, when he said that it is bull that anyone says race is non-existent. And I agree. Race, as a tool for oppression, was one of the ugliest manipulations of human thought. But that doesn't mean that race, as a measure for individuality and identity should be phased out and labeled non-existent, because the history of race in the United States is a troubled one. 

There is one valuable thing that we all receive from our race: agency. People of one race can and always will use their agency in their race to congregate as a community in order to voice opinions and to celebrate traditions. If we were suddenly told there is no such thing as race, are we suddenly expected to dispose of our old cultural traditions that make us unique in order to move into a more harmonious and uniform world? I, and I'm sure more people, don't like that idea.

Can You be Disobedient?

Henry David Thoreau was disgusted by slavery and the Mexican American War. In prosets, he offered the idea of civil disobedience. This is the act of being unruly in order to protest the government and its actions. I really took to this idea of being able to protest and be a non-conformist if you disagree with the government. 

In class on Thursday 12/12/08, we had a speaker come in and talk about her acts of cimil disobedience. A lady who had been arrested nearly 60 times in her life, all to protest what she thought was the government's abuse of power. The most dramatic of her tales was when she was in Iraq, against strict protocol, helping families that were affected by the US invasion. She conveyed to us with her voice and expression the same emotion that she must have felt while in Iraq. I was left speechless. She believes non-violent protest and civil disobedience are the most potent way of getting your voice heard.

My main question now is, can people perform acts of civil disobedience and still be active members of society? The speaker we had, after all, doesn't pay taxes and owns not a single automobile. So how can a New Trier student or faculty aspire to live in open protest to the government if we want, without being seen as strange or outcasts? 

The answer is... he or she probable cannot. In Thoreau's day, the government was still young and ripe for protest. Now, we are so used to the governments practices that any protest besides an anti-war march seems too edgy. I wish there was a way to open forum our protests to the government without having to break the law. 

Our speaker laid it out for us. In order to live her lifestyle, she made a decision to change her normal way of life. For a high school student wanting to go on to college and beyond, I just can't see myself being able to protest in such ways. 

What We Really Need

Henry David Thoreau spent two years in solitude while according observations for his book, Walden. In these two years he determined that man has only 4 requirements he must maintain for himself in order to survive: fuel, food, shelter, and clothing. A perfectly functioning human being can exist so long as he quenches these 4 thirsts. 

With the holiday season in full swing, it is a good time to consider what the brilliant Thoreau had to offer us. When we sit down to make our holiday lists, what should we ask for so that we don't bury ourselves with "not indispensable" items. When I asked myself that question, I remembered hearing about a sponsorship charities, like the Christian Children's Fund , in which a small portion of our money goes to ensure that children in third world countries do not go without the 4 basic needs. 

It is very hard to live like a transcendentalist today, with more  and more people worry about looks and luxuries. How can we strive to be individualists, when advertisements insult us with their low brow humor-- trying to connect with the common man?Advertisements are just plain bad. 

Anyway, I hope we live conscious of Thoreau's efforts to show us that we can live happy without the luxuries. 

Does He Really Fit the Bill?

The man is in our pockets and textbooks as the seventh President of the United States. Champion of the common man, he was known as he made his way into office. Andrew Jackson also is known for his tough love attitude toward the banking system, and got his face on the twenty dollar bill, big whoop. But does his face still deserve to be on the bill? After all, "Old Hickory" was not the most kind towards the Native American people. 

In fact, his record against the Indians during the Westward Expansion was less than flattering. "Indian Removal" was one of his talking points during his first inaugural address. 

As a nation of progress (defeating slavery and equalizing rights for all), it is somewhat disturbing that Jackson is still on the bill. The fact that he accomplished so little as far as building the nation, should be enough to overcome the common man friendship he had, that keeps his face on the bill today. Are we really a progressive nation, if we cannot recognize what a travesty the Indian Removal was? 

There is no going back in time to give the rightful land pack to the native people, but we can do one thing. We can replace the face of a man who fully supported and took part in the only genocide our country as witnessed with that of a man who has some more for us. FDR would be a much better candidate, and he represented progress to the extreme, pulling our country out of depression and laying the foundation for the United States' rise to world power.

Has Progress killed Bond?

Following the release of Daniel Craig's second film as James Bond, many critics, and even Rodger Moore himself, find themselves questioning whether what has happened to Bond is good. Throughout the forty years of Bond bonanza, the gadgets and pushing of the proverbial envelope have been changing to fit the modern world. However, with this country's unquenchable thirst for violence in entertainment, these critics feel that Bond has become too violent to appropriately fit the 007 model left by Craig's predecessors. With the progression in the media being made tin the past few decades, Americans have found themselves being able to view content with more violence, sex, and drug use than in the past. Obviously, the filmmakers of the Bond films had to adjust to the changing times and in turn have lost the charm and far out espionage sequence and replaced it with more death and more destruction.

Will Columbia Pictures head the warnings of critics and try to make a more classic Bond film in the future? Or will they listen to the outstanding box office preformance that ushered in over $70 million dollars for the studio? My friends, I regret to say, they will probably give into the power of green, and the American public will be force fed more putrid garbage through films that once warmed our imagination and inspired many to believe that futurism is ideal. Should we take this as a warning that progress may not be the key to our society? Perhaps the general balance we have now (save for a few exceptions) is where we should draw the line.

Obama Ushered In, World is Pleased

Now President-Elect Barrack Obama was in many eyes a shoe-in for victory. He had pragmatists and idealists on his side, arguing that the eight years of Bush policies are outdated and would be continued by McCain, and promising the vague idea of "Change" to the country's more desperate folk. The international reaction is also a noteworthy tidbit, as most countries see Obama as a strong and favorable leader. However, as can be seen in the link above, The China Worker, obviously a socialist piece, is fearful of Obama's election claiming that he is representative of big business and he being the first African-American to be elected President will cause false security to the issue of racism in America. This is a harsh, but pragmatic response to the election, as most pundits and newspapers have been swept up in the euphoria of Obama's election. Although the bias in this article is clearly define, it is interesting to see a sharp opposing viewpoint on the election, when American's eyes are filled with the same images in news and information. This non-dominant narrative, although not proven true, could be seen as a good warning to those that are willing to throw all of their faith into this strong and charismatic leader.

Just to get it out of the way... Boo Yah!