Marine Officer Justin Johnson served his country with pride and honor for over 6 years. Throughout his illustrious career he performed his duties exceptionally well, often receiving praises from his superiors and the Marines and Sailors that served under his command. In 2001, Johnson graduated college and received his commission as an officer. In 2004, he deployed with his unit, 2nd battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division to Ar Ramadi, Iraq. His battalion faced fierce combat as the 1,000 or so Marines conducted stability and security operations in a city of over 300,000 forming bonds between these men that were unbreakable. In June 2005, Johnson completed his contract and was honorably discharged. A few years later in 2007, he was recalled from the Inactive Reserves to do a tour in Afghanistan and from September 2007 to April 2008, he led Marines in Kabul, Afghanistan without incident and with honor. Held against any US citizens standards, Johnson is an American Hero along with the many other men and women that have served in the past, present, or will in the future. The only difference between Johnson and a majority of his fellow marines is that he is a homosexual and I strongly believe that sexual orientation should have no influence on whether or not one should be able to serve in the military.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Problem - College Tuition
I want to write about college tuition costs because I feel that it has been a growing problems for years now and thousands of students and parents have had to deal with this problem. The issue is worth caring about because it would be much more helpful those pursuing an education or paying for an education to decrease the cost of tuition especially since the economy is not secure at this point in time. Through this thesis I will be responding to the concern that college tuition has become entirely too high and unaffordable for most and it's creating even more problems along with it. I would be entering an ongoing discussion about the importance of an education and how its price is hindering the likeliness of it. I'm contributing a strong standpoint against how high the price of a college tuition is and proposing how to find a solution to this problem.
Any current student, parent of a student, or anyone who is college-bound could benefit from this information. This would involve students from ages 16 to 25 who are either about to enter college or are currently in college who do not come from a lot of wealth. This would also apply to parents or older college-bound persons who are trying to help their children pay for an education but cannot afford it. These people would highly care about this topic because it would be a huge problem facing them currently or in their future that they will have to deal with.
I want my audience to try to use the information I give them to take a political stand against the cost of tuition whether that means petitioning, switching their votes for a certain candidate or even approaching the presidents of certain schools or universities. I hope to inspire or motivate my audience to take action against this problem instead of sitting back and watching tuition increase every year.
I can establish my credibility by explaining that I'm currently facing this problem so I know what it entails and certain results that come out of it and I will be able to establish a common ground between myself and my readers by incorporating relatable situations that my audience should understand.
Any current student, parent of a student, or anyone who is college-bound could benefit from this information. This would involve students from ages 16 to 25 who are either about to enter college or are currently in college who do not come from a lot of wealth. This would also apply to parents or older college-bound persons who are trying to help their children pay for an education but cannot afford it. These people would highly care about this topic because it would be a huge problem facing them currently or in their future that they will have to deal with.
I want my audience to try to use the information I give them to take a political stand against the cost of tuition whether that means petitioning, switching their votes for a certain candidate or even approaching the presidents of certain schools or universities. I hope to inspire or motivate my audience to take action against this problem instead of sitting back and watching tuition increase every year.
I can establish my credibility by explaining that I'm currently facing this problem so I know what it entails and certain results that come out of it and I will be able to establish a common ground between myself and my readers by incorporating relatable situations that my audience should understand.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Proposal
I'm choosing to discuss rap videos because they are all extremely cliche and use the same propaganda. Almost every rap video I've seen has a half-naked girls dancing around them, some kind of nice car, a club setting, alcohol and weed and also usually moves in slow motion. For some reason even if the rappers are inside, they wear sunglasses. There is usually one or more hot girls looking at them from across the room and also a lot of dancing and stripping. I'm going to use a Kanye West rap video to show that he is a rapper yet out of the rap video element. Kanye does usually have a woman or two but many of his videos tell a story or use a lot of technical work such as lights to make the video more appealing. I am going to show how Kanye defies the rap video norm.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Influential Ignominy
After finishing Dorian Gray, The Stranger and our human nature unit, I've come to form a connection between the three, realizing that society has become not only judgmental and ignorant but also "under the influence." When I say this I'm not talking about alcohol or drugs, I'm talking about the influence of other people. In "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Lord Henry Wotton had taken complete control over Dorian just because of the intriguing, knowledgeable character that Wotton was. Lord Henry posed as someone who Dorian wanted to become, and opened up a window of new opportunity and exploration that Dorian wanted to take advantage of. By providing almost a new life and suggesting new risks, Dorian couldn't resist the temptation and in doing so surrendered his soul and turned into a completely different person.
Although this may seem like a stretch, this simple interaction between Dorian and Lord Henry is an epitome of teenage interactions and how they act towards each other. Every teenager wants to be the "jock" or "the cheerleader," conforming to a certain clique so they can "fit in." No teenager is ever satisfied with what they're given and always crave for something more, usually something unobtainable or even dangerous. Teenagers constantly travel in groups because they're afraid of being their own or an independent which is how these cliques become formed in the first place. Many teenagers start out innocent and naive, but after being exposed to the real world full of hazardous truths they being to enter into another world, as did Dorian. People nowadays become too worried and obsessed with the idea of becoming someone better, someone perfect, and lose themselves to this fantasy.
Human nature in general, is a concept that I will never be able to completely understand. As for why people must follow one another, and can't be their own person completely baffles me yet about ninety percent of teenagers demonstrate this kind of behavior. I hope that eventually this can come to a gradual stop, and people realize that it's OK to be an individual and act outside what is expected or what is "cool." Teenagers need to stop devoting their life to looking like an artificial person in a magazine, and come to understand the reality of what they've been given in life and use it to make themselves into a great person, not into a person they're not.
Although this may seem like a stretch, this simple interaction between Dorian and Lord Henry is an epitome of teenage interactions and how they act towards each other. Every teenager wants to be the "jock" or "the cheerleader," conforming to a certain clique so they can "fit in." No teenager is ever satisfied with what they're given and always crave for something more, usually something unobtainable or even dangerous. Teenagers constantly travel in groups because they're afraid of being their own or an independent which is how these cliques become formed in the first place. Many teenagers start out innocent and naive, but after being exposed to the real world full of hazardous truths they being to enter into another world, as did Dorian. People nowadays become too worried and obsessed with the idea of becoming someone better, someone perfect, and lose themselves to this fantasy.
Human nature in general, is a concept that I will never be able to completely understand. As for why people must follow one another, and can't be their own person completely baffles me yet about ninety percent of teenagers demonstrate this kind of behavior. I hope that eventually this can come to a gradual stop, and people realize that it's OK to be an individual and act outside what is expected or what is "cool." Teenagers need to stop devoting their life to looking like an artificial person in a magazine, and come to understand the reality of what they've been given in life and use it to make themselves into a great person, not into a person they're not.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Teenage Instincts
After reading The Stranger by Albert Camus, it became apparent to me that societal expectations were a problem for most people. Mersault, the main character of the novel, had been accused of a murder but was primarily judged by his reaction to his mother's death. Because Mersault chose to respond in a different manner by not showing remorse, and engaging in sexual activity, he was immediately thought of as a disgusting, horrid human being. The extent of the truth of this accusation was simply that Mersault was not very close with his mother and sex was something that he enjoyed. Why not go after happiness if it's available? Mersault, unlike most beings, chose to respond to death by moving on and living life compared to mourning the loss of a loved one, a typical human response. After seeing how powerful societie's influence had over the jury and over Mersault's case, my mind wandered to a broader spectrum of how much society really impacts those who occupy it.
One of the biggest problems that teenagers face is jealousy, truth, and honesty. Teenagers are constantly quick to point out others flaws or imperfections, and rarely does one hear a compliment or have someone go out of their way to say something nice about them. This is because teenagers have trouble being honest with themselves and immediately turn to jealously. Every teenager wants what they can't have whether that be hair, boobs, or big muscles. A teenager is never appreciative of what they have and the gifts they were given so instead focus on what they envy and turn themselves into a group of uncivilized monsters.
Another common interaction that I see between teenagers is the "How do I look?" complex. Whenever a teenager asks for someones opinion they will backfire with a rude comment and oppose the persons views if their friend's honesty implied something negative. However, if the commentator had said something good, the once hesitant teenager would bask in glory. Clearly teenagers have trouble grasping and accepting the truth and regardless of whether they ask or not, a rebuttal will always be made as long as the other person disagrees in some form.
I personally don't understand why teenagers behave the way that they do. There is no reason for the ridicule that goes on amongst teenagers each and every day of their lives. Teenagers need to start recognizing better qualities within each other instead of jumping to trash the person sitting next to them. If one asks for the truth then they should expect to receive the truth. Teenagers as a whole need to stop this irrational behavior and start being more accepting of the world around them before America turns into a war with itself.
One of the biggest problems that teenagers face is jealousy, truth, and honesty. Teenagers are constantly quick to point out others flaws or imperfections, and rarely does one hear a compliment or have someone go out of their way to say something nice about them. This is because teenagers have trouble being honest with themselves and immediately turn to jealously. Every teenager wants what they can't have whether that be hair, boobs, or big muscles. A teenager is never appreciative of what they have and the gifts they were given so instead focus on what they envy and turn themselves into a group of uncivilized monsters.
Another common interaction that I see between teenagers is the "How do I look?" complex. Whenever a teenager asks for someones opinion they will backfire with a rude comment and oppose the persons views if their friend's honesty implied something negative. However, if the commentator had said something good, the once hesitant teenager would bask in glory. Clearly teenagers have trouble grasping and accepting the truth and regardless of whether they ask or not, a rebuttal will always be made as long as the other person disagrees in some form.
I personally don't understand why teenagers behave the way that they do. There is no reason for the ridicule that goes on amongst teenagers each and every day of their lives. Teenagers need to start recognizing better qualities within each other instead of jumping to trash the person sitting next to them. If one asks for the truth then they should expect to receive the truth. Teenagers as a whole need to stop this irrational behavior and start being more accepting of the world around them before America turns into a war with itself.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Acceptance of Homosexuality
The topic that I would like to discuss would be society's acceptance of homosexuality. Currently reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde I have picked up on some gay undertones between the relationship of the primary male characters in this novel. The characters aren't direct about their feelings however they display obsessions over eachother's magnificence and beauty. Having noticed the homosexual hints in the story, this lead me to think more of the author. After writing "The Importance of Being Earnest" Wilde had engaged in numerous suits against his lovers father. Trials and trials had passed eventually accusing Wilde of gross indecenency with other men, imprisoning him for two years and required to perform intensive labor. Oscar created a number of works in prison which discused his new passions and pleasures, along with occurences in jail.
The acceptance of homosexuality has highly evolved over the decades. In Wilde's time, it was highly looked down upon thus his brutal punishment of jail, and was rarely accepted or talked of. Now America and society is sticking up for homosexuality and is making gay films and documentaries such as MILK which concerned the first gay male and the hardships he endured because of the the overwhelming discrimination, which in turn received an academy award for the heart-wrenching story. More celebrities are opening up about homosexuality such as Queen Latifah, Ricky Martin, and Adam Lambert showing that people aren't afraid anymore of society's response and also that America and society as a whole has been taking the reality of homosexuality in better ways. In some states homosexual couples are now allowed to become legally married, and as time goes on more states are heeding to this rule. The Don't Ask Don't Tell law has just been repealed, which provides gay males in the military freedom for expression, allowing them to not have to hide behind a false facade anymore.
I think that America has become much more open and accepting of the homosexuals in our society and that the acceptance rate has only increased and gotten better. Despite the progress that we've made with this issue as a country, it is still obvious that homosexuality is not entirely accepted. We can see this through the lives of the people who still are afraid to be who the are. A young male student from Drexel University had recently committed suicide out of fear and shame because gay sexual encounters had been leaked over the internet of him and his partner. Clearly, the acceptance of homosexuality needs to improve if people are still living in fear of how they were born. I stand against all sorts of discrimination, this being one of them. People don't decide what color their skin will be, or what kind of person they'll fall in love with and I don't understand why every one in today's world must gang up on someone just because they're different. What sex a person prefers is noones business but his/her own and therefore the level of exclusion and ostracizing in today's society should not be present.
The acceptance of homosexuality has highly evolved over the decades. In Wilde's time, it was highly looked down upon thus his brutal punishment of jail, and was rarely accepted or talked of. Now America and society is sticking up for homosexuality and is making gay films and documentaries such as MILK which concerned the first gay male and the hardships he endured because of the the overwhelming discrimination, which in turn received an academy award for the heart-wrenching story. More celebrities are opening up about homosexuality such as Queen Latifah, Ricky Martin, and Adam Lambert showing that people aren't afraid anymore of society's response and also that America and society as a whole has been taking the reality of homosexuality in better ways. In some states homosexual couples are now allowed to become legally married, and as time goes on more states are heeding to this rule. The Don't Ask Don't Tell law has just been repealed, which provides gay males in the military freedom for expression, allowing them to not have to hide behind a false facade anymore.
I think that America has become much more open and accepting of the homosexuals in our society and that the acceptance rate has only increased and gotten better. Despite the progress that we've made with this issue as a country, it is still obvious that homosexuality is not entirely accepted. We can see this through the lives of the people who still are afraid to be who the are. A young male student from Drexel University had recently committed suicide out of fear and shame because gay sexual encounters had been leaked over the internet of him and his partner. Clearly, the acceptance of homosexuality needs to improve if people are still living in fear of how they were born. I stand against all sorts of discrimination, this being one of them. People don't decide what color their skin will be, or what kind of person they'll fall in love with and I don't understand why every one in today's world must gang up on someone just because they're different. What sex a person prefers is noones business but his/her own and therefore the level of exclusion and ostracizing in today's society should not be present.
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