Welcome!

Welcome to the weblog for our American Literature class. Here's the place we will be continuing conversations from class and starting new ones. We'll be discussing and debating current events, historical controversies, and literary conundrums. We might even see a little poetry.

So, what's a blog? And how will we be using it class? For information on blogging and how to join and post to our blog, see "All About Blogging."

We're looking forward to a great year.

Make sure you check your e-mail for your invitation to join the blog. Also – and this is very important – the first step you should take after you accept the invitation is to edit your user profile so that you control how your identity and your communication preferences.  Click on the pull-down menu next to your name in the upper right corner of the browser and click on “Blogger Profile.” Then click on “Edit Profile.”

You can fill out as much of it as you want, but the only requirement is -- under “Identity” -- make sure your “Display name” is your first name and last initial only -- so we provide some anonymity while still allowing your classmates and teacher to be able to identity who you are. For example, change “Bernie Heidkamp” to “Bernie H.”

Contradicting Advertisement

This advertisement sponsored by Peta, seems like an encouraging advertisement at first encouraging people to save the whales and go vegetarian. But the underlying message is fat shaming females and their physical appearance by comparing the overweight lady to the whale that they're trying to get people to save. This is what makes it controversial because although they're promoting good things, they're also throwing some negative things into the mix for comedy. People's weight should never be made fun of for people's entertainment purposes.

How Do We Teach 9/11?

Today marks the 14th anniversary of 9/11. A question arises among many history teachers in the U.S. “How do we teach 9/11?” In years past, there was no real reason to teach 9/11 to high school students because many were old enough to remember what happened. Since there is no set curriculum to teach about 9/11, teachers have used it to lead into discussions about Afghanistan and the war on terror.

 George Bush claimed that 9/11 happened because the Islamist extremist who hijacked the planes “hated our freedom.” This is a ridiculous and poorly researched assumption about the hijackers motives. What should be taught in high schools is that the hijackers true hatred, is hatred for Modernity in the Western World. Bernard Lewis, the eminent scholar of Islam, defines Modernity as “secular culture of reason, science, individualism, progress, democracy, and capitalism.” All of these are associated with modernity, and all of these goes against Islamist beliefs and ideologies. Along with Modernity, resentment of western politics and decisions is another reason Islamist extremists targeted America. The Atlas Society asks a very intriguing question, “Do our enemies hate modernity because it is Western, or hate the West because it is modern?”

To understand the causes of 9/11, one has to truly understand the reason for each target the planes crashed into. Each target was an essential part of Modernity. If all parts were successfully destroyed, Modernity (and the West) would fall. The Twin Towers were selected because they were the centers of trade and capitalism. The next plane that hit the Pentagon was intended to eliminate the center of the U.S. military. Luckily, the plane crashed into the recently reinforced outer wall so the damage done was much smaller than it could have been. The fourth and final plane landed in a field in Pennsylvania, it was intended to hit the White House, the Capitol building or even Camp David. Destroying any of these targets would have destroyed a big part of the government. With all of these institutions destroyed, Modernity would fall as well as the West.

History about 9/11 should be taught through analysis and evidence. It should not be taught through close-minded assumptions such as, “they hated our freedom”.

Wreck-It Ralph: Fun-Loving, Animated Movie or Eye-Opening PSA?

Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney-animated movie that was released in 2012. This movie takes place in an old-school arcade world where the protagonist, Ralph, is tired of being the bad guy in the video game Fix-It Felix Jr.. Though the movie appears fun-loving and a stereotypical animated film, further observation reveals the effect and issue of America’s obsession with materialism and aestheticism.

In the film Ralph is depicted as aesthetically disappointing according to America’s standards. Ralph is tall, stalky, has big hands and feet, tattered hair, a protruding nose and buck teeth. Also Ralph is not wealthy; he is “homeless” and lives in a dump full of bricks and sleeps on a tree stump. The hero in the game Fix-It Felix Jr., is a skinny, well-dressed guy with perfect teeth, a button nose, and full hair. Not only is Felix the hero of the game, he also lives in the penthouse suite of an apartment and carries around a golden hammer from his father that fixes anything it touches. The townspeople in the game praise Felix and demean Ralph not only because Felix is the hero and Ralph is the villain but also because Felix is “pretty” and wealthy and Ralph is “ugly” and poor. The townspeople are depicted as ditsy and fake, blindly following Felix and praising him unconditionally no matter what he does. The townspeople mirror the American people, who blindly follow beauty and consumer trends and praise the ideas of materialism and aestheticism.

The actions of Felix and Ralph during the course of the movie also accentuates and pokes fun at America’s obsession with money, power, and beauty. Tired of being seen as the bad guy, Ralph goes to other games within the arcade in search of a gold medal - which he believes will validate him as a hero. When he returns from another videogame with a medal, he is surprised to find that he receives no heroic praise but instead is presented with an abandoned, out of order game. Ralph relied on material things for approval and success and he ended up coming up confused and short. Americans often rely on material things to bring happiness and use material objects to monitor success. However, material things don’t necessarily fulfil self-satisfaction or validate actions and American’s often end up still depressed and confused why their material excursions came up short.

Felix relies on his golden hammer to accomplish tasks and without it he has little developed skills and success. Disney uses Felix’s reliance on his hammer to poke fun at America's reliance on quick and effective material objects. Not many of today’s teenagers can live without their phones, calculators or other electronics for assistance, which are products of wealth and entitlement. These products once again fuel the large flame of materialism and aesthetics that has spread among the U.S.

The characters and ideas in the movie Wreck-It Ralph may seem fun-loving on the surface and maybe that’s what Disney intended. If Americans take a simple break from gawking over pretty pictures and material possessions, they can look under the surface of the animated film and observe a mirror, reflecting the faults of Americans, right back at them.

Wreck-It Ralph Trailer:

Game of War ft. Kate Uptons Chest

The Game of War commercials that aired most frequently around the time of the Super Bowl, targeting male audiences, star Kate Upton as a queen of some sort, draped in white and shielded by silver armor. Throughout the series of ads she walks through her exploding castle, gives pep talks to men before war, and rides into battle with them. Sounds bad ass right? Sounds like she’s challenging a few stereotypes? Perhaps the character that Upton plays is breaking down barriers, but Upton herself is not. Instead, she is being used as a sex object to catch the attention of boys so that they will be tempted to play a video game.

The commercials are shot through the male gaze. They follow Upton’s breasts in slow motion as she rides her horse or walks through a battlefield. The armor she wears does less to protect her than it does to accentuate her figure. She recites poorly written and poorly delivered dialogue as if the words coming out her mouth don’t matter. In fact, males who commented on the videos on youtube would agree that her lines are unimportant. One comment said, “Kate Upton is someone who should be looked at, not heard.” This shows that she is in those commercials because of her looks. The company decided exploiting her body would be the best way to make a buck.

Although she is supposed to be a strong leader in war, Upton also asks, apparently to random teenage boys, “Will you be my hero?” This reaffirms not only the damsel in distress stereotype, but also the stereotype that men have to be tough, violent, and dominating.

One comment on youtube said, “I don't have a problem with a woman leading an Army. But making her all pretty and shiny while her soldiers look like trash and beat up, it's feminist and really stupid. No man would follow or respect that narcissist c**t.” This ignorant person completely misses the point. These commercials, while they do feature a strong female character, are actually the opposite of feminist. Upton is not “all pretty and shiny” because she thinks shes better than the men, she looks like that because males put her in that commercial for the sole purpose of turning males on. She’s there to be looked at. She’s there to be objectified. She’s there because we live in a society that treats women’s bodies like products to use and sell for entertainment.

John Oliver: Employees Are More Than Robots

John Oliver, a former correspondent for The Daily Show, has recently established himself as one of the top satirists on television. His show, Last Week Tonight, works hard to take down established culture through investigative journalism and humor. Because the show airs without commercials, Oliver does not have to worry about insulting his sponsors, so every corporation and event has to be ready for his attacks.

Recently, Oliver satirized Lowes' new idea: robot assistants. He began the clip by showing other network's coverage of the hardware stores' commercial, pausing for comic relief after the actors smile oddly at the robots. As the actor in the commercial mentions that he might be friends with the robot, Oliver stops the clip and says, "That sentence may be the single saddest sentiment ever spoken". Oliver uses sarcasm repeatedly to convey that using robots in place of human workers is an idiotic idea.

John Oliver then presents his idea for a commercial for Home Depot, which shows why human employees are so valuable. Oliver decides that the most important job of a hardware store employee is to stop couples from arguing. He presents a valid argument that hardware stores create marital problems, as they involve making long term decisions, spending money, and arguing over tastes. However, he includes fluorescent lighting as a problem with hardware shopping to create humor, adding that nobody leaves one of these stores happy.

The fake commercial is really where the irony begins, as the hypothetical worker, played by Nick Offerman uses both physical comedy and verbal irony as he tries to help a couple. Every item creates tension between the couple, hyperbolizing the potential for conflict at a store. Offerman simply fixes every problem by suggesting another product, or praising the product, showing that the couples don't need much to be distracted. At Offerman's suggestion, they forget about all of their problems, which range from house size to marital infidelity. The couple appears to be arguing as if they were at a psychiatrist, which creates situational irony.

Oliver's larger point is to critique the digitilization of modern life. Although it is obvious that he takes the role of the employee to an extreme, Oliver appreciates the role that human interactions play in our lives, and that employees are more than robots who follow orders. Oliver's critique is positive, because it argues for greater valuation of store employee, and doesn't take down another society while doing so.

(Video is explicit)

It's Weird Even If It Works

Beer companies are notorious for using logical fallacy in their commercials, and Bud Light tried to exploit the superstition and passion of footballs fans with a commercial entitled "Very Superstitious". The commercial focuses on football fans doing outlandish rituals that supposedly help their teams win.

This commercial takes advantage of the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, which falsely attributes a result to an action after the fact. Many superstitions are created by this fallacy, as it is easy to forget the times that a superstition did not work. Just because something occurred before a team won the game, does not mean that the action in any way influenced the outcome of the game.

Bud Light ends their commercial with the line, "It's only weird if it doesn't work". This sentence is a strong example of the post hoc fallacy: just because you did something crazy does not indicate a correlation with the outcome of an unrelated sports event. Bud Light tries to convince viewers that Bud Light will help their team win because their team won after they drank Bud Light. Many of the scenes in the commercial show people using beer cans as part of their superstitions, and drinking beer both before and after their favorite teams score or win, appealing to positive feelings.

Bud Light tries to associate the feeling of victory with Bud Light, and applies the ad populum fallacy to convey the message that everyone is supporting their team by drinking Bud Light. By showing so many people as successful when they use superstitions, Bud Light makes the claim that superstitions must help a team win.

Even though the commercial employs fallacy to convince viewers that they should drink Bud Light beer, the commercial still succeeds because it is persuasive. It uses energetic recognizable music and displays sports logos, which create emotion and passion in viewers. I think that this ad, like many advertisements, takes advantage of the viewer's emotion and exploits the fact that the viewer is not paying close attention to the logic behind the ad. Whether this is a good practice or not remains to be seen.

Misleading the Herd

A New York Times Article published today announces the new rules that the Food and Drug Administration are making mandatory in the United States. The new rules require chain restaurants, movie theaters and pizza parlors to post the calories in each item on their menus. Health "experts" say this new rule will help combat America's increasing obesity epidemic by making people more aware of the amount of calories they are consuming.

I believe this article and these so-called experts use post hoc, a logical fallacy in which the cause for something is false. The cause of the obesity epidemic in our country is not the amount of calories people are consuming per say, but the literal "food" that the majority of our country consumes. People eat so many calories at these fast food restaurants because the food is unwholesome and doesn't fill them up unless they eat a ton of it, and wholesome food is rather expensive. 

Instead of avoiding the real issue, "experts" should not be trying to control the obesity rates in America by making people aware of the amount of calories they are eating, but more so what people are eating, the actual "nutrition" in it, and what it is doing to their bodies. 

What is it like to live in a postmodern world?

Because I live in a postmodern world you would assume that I know what it’s like. But when you consider the fact that I’ve only ever lived in a postmodern world, it is hard to answer the question. To me the postmodern world that older people see is all I have ever known. The mass media that I experience every day has become a normal part of life. The fact that I do not know what it is like to live in a world that is not postmodern is in itself a postmodern concept because the skewed vision I posses of what “real life” is. 

Some elements of postmodernism and the effects that they have on people, especially young people, can be avoided. The constant editing of real life and the representations that occur in social media can be very obvious.  When you are able to look past this, seeing your true self for who you are in the moment becomes an easier task. To find ourselves in the postmodern world that now exists in every aspect of our lives requires introspection rather than seeing ourselves in terms of the rest of the world. Once this introspection has been done, the fake images of life that we are exposed to have less power over us due to the separation of our true selves from the falsehoods ever present in our world.

Food Deserts

When I carry bags for people at the Oak Park Food Pantry, I often ask the clients how they are doing that day, which starts a conversation. Although the people who come to this food pantry seek help for fiscal reasons, food pantries in other parts of the country are often the only source of fresh produce that is available in the neighborhood. Although the expansion of fast food and the almost unlimited shelf life of processed foods brings reliable sources of calories, the food is rarely nutritious.

As people suffering through poverty try to find their footing and keep their family afloat, their food quality suffers. They are forced to eat fast food several times each week, replacing fresh produce with frozen meals. This starts a vicious cycle, where the only grocers that supply expensive fresh fruits and vegetables go out of business. This reduces the amount of fresh produce available while at the same time increasing the attractiveness and simplicity of eating fast food.

Although it is easy to write off hunger in America as a small issue because the gut reaction to the obesity epidemic is to reduce food consumption, malnutrition is problem that affects a great amount of people. Both obesity and hunger affect around 20 percent of children in the U.S., but hunger has disappeared from the national spotlight as obesity becomes the more “pressing” issue.

The truth is that these people struggling to get healthy food for their families are often overweight or obese, as their calories come from fast food and sugary drinks, instead of a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables. Although it is great that the Michelle Obama is supporting the fight against obesity with fresh food and exercise, switching to healthy foods is not always an option for people living in food deserts.

A few weeks ago, when I was waiting to help someone at the food pantry, I heard a man walking by comment, “Those people can’t be hungry, they’re all overweight.” Misconceptions about hunger and malnutrition in the U.S. contribute to the growing problem, as funds for food pantries and food banks are disappearing due to greater focus on preventing obesity and other diseases.

There are many proposed solutions to food deserts, one of which is tax breaks to stores that vend healthy produce year round, but that only helps a little bit. Greater impact will come from an acceptance and recognition of the extreme desperation that many American find themselves after undergoing financial instability. Community support and action is vital to fighting the disappearance of healthy food sources in urban environments.

 Hunger is an issue that can and should be fought with citizen’s actions rather than with government programs. Small actions can be very effective, just a few hours volunteering at a food pantry, or taking a trip to drive produce to areas without fresh vegetables can make a difference, and inspire others to help.

A Distracted Society

The priorities and concerns of our society are not ranked very thoughtfully, and that shows when you go to the "Most Popular Right Now" page on Youtube. Some of the videos that are more popular than Obama's ISIS Speech right now include "Mike Tyson Goes Crazy on Live Canadian News", "Ellen's Anaconda Video", and "Pros and Cons: Dating Britney Spears". 

Why are these comparatively irrelevant videos more popular than a video involving the future of our world, humanity and the lives of so many? More people should be interested in what is going on in the world, and not laughing at a video of Mike Tyson "going crazy", when he was really just angry at the talk show host for putting him on the spot. 

For something that has such an effect on our home lives, I believe Americans should be more concerned with Obama's decisions and what the country is about to do. Lots of money goes into our military and takes away from potential improvements in our country. The media is doing a good job distracting people and has them hooked! 

Super Bowl an Excuse for a Super Sell

About 11.5 million people in the United States watched the Super Bowl last year. The Super Bowl is one of the most viewed programs on T.V. and only comes on once a year.

Thus, the Super Bowl demonstrates a truth about American culture: Americans prioritize television, sports, and consumerism. Watching television is a daily part of American’s lives. Many people are drawn into watching the Super bowl because the next day everyone is talking about the score, the half-time show, and the commercials. Thus, the Super Bowl is like a holiday to Americans. Everyone is expected to watch the Super Bowl and go to parties. Companies are well aware of the subconscious pressure many Americans feel to watch the Super Bowl and they capitalize on the number of people that they can make aware of their products. The day following the Super Bowl, many people rank the best, worst, most offensive, and funniest commercials. These conversations can also be considered a form of consuming and lead to people wanting and then buying these products, even if they are not necessities.

While consumerism is a major byproduct of the Super Bowl, there is also a critical analysis that follows. Many newspapers, blogs, and people on social media websites analyze the content of commercials. The day of the Super Bowl lots of money exchanges hands whether it is too get food for the Super Bowl party or companies buying time on the air for their commercials, but the day after is when Americans question and reflect how their society spent its money and time the day before. A beautiful truth about American society is that it asks a lot of questions and has many debates within itself. The Super Bowl is a clear example of Americans consumerist habits, but also their critical thinking skills and strong opinions.

Transform!...Must we?

Since 2007, the Transformers series has premiered four films, grossing over three billion dollars. Each film drew in their viewers with the promise of exploding cars, shattering buildings, and scantily clad women. They kept their promise by producing four movies chock full of the American ideology of materialism.

Everything in the films is about having the fastest, shiniest, and newest versions. As a country, America has always been one to encourage consumerism regardless of necessity. It's nearly impossible to watch 5 minutes of television without being bombarded with car commercials selling their "New and Improved" model.

Keep in mind, only the strongest and most developed Transformers can survive. It's as if director Michael Bay is trying to convince his audiences that they can only survive and thrive as a person if they indulge in the consumerism of the nation. If you do so, all your problems in life simply vanish, as long as you have that car.

An integral element of the Transformers is that they are always changing and never really keep the same form. Audience members watching the movies are thrilled when their favorite character changes into a new and improved fashion, completely forgetting how much they adored their prior appearance.  In the same manner, the American economy constantly convinces consumers into purchasing new products that are essentially identical to the last. As a nation, we are constantly transforming. Whether our next version will be better, that is unknown.

American Ideals Through Commercials

In 2014, Cadillac released a commercial called Poolside that stirred controversy over the issues of extreme patriotism and exceptionalism. The commercial features a buff man in a suit and tie talking about hard working Americans, who have material goods because those goods are “the benefit of taking only two weeks off in August,” when earlier the spokesperson reprimanded European culture for taking the month of August out of work. He talks about how America is far superior to any nation, and “claimed the moon.”

The commercial is not an accurate representation of American culture, and does not speak to a large portion of hardworking Americans through unsuccessfully encouraging the American philosophy that if a person works hard, they can get anything they want.

The commercial does not speak to a large portion of America because the spokesperson is a wealthy, obtrusive man who speaks his ideas as if they are facts. He says, “ We went up there (the moon) and you know what we got? Bored. So we left. Got a car up there. Left the keys in it. You know why? Because we’re the only ones going back up there, that’s why.” He plays up American success, only to talk to the intended audience as if they are a three year old incapable of understanding the supposed greatness of America. The inflection of his voice appears as if his thoughts are the correct ones, and the audience’s opinions hardly matter. He ostracizes immigrants and foreign citizens by believing America has conquered everything, and that nobody would dare question the superiority of Americans. His wealth detracts from the intent of the commercial because a majority of working Americans spend hours upon hours trying to climb the ladder of society, only to see their hopes become unfulfilled.

The backlash to this commercial displays how Americans want to move away from the stereotypical view of foreigners that Americans are narcissistic. In response, Ford released a commercial, called Upside, that displayed what an actual working class American felt and believed. That commercial reaches a larger audience because it understands that Americans want to make the place they live better. The spokeswoman says, “you work hard, you try to make the world better, you try.” The spokeswoman accepts failure, while still encouraging the public to get up and make the world a better place, while the Cadillac commercial has no vision and talks about the successes of one nation.

The contradictions and reactions between these two commercials illustrate that Americans are tired of hearing about working hard and getting good things for themselves, but want to help make the world a better place.