Planning the Perfect Training Program

This week we focused our class discussions on the subject of political correctness which lines up perfectly with our schools pledge to end the word. This is a great example of how PC language can be beneficial to society. Taking part in such an activity provides positive externalities to everyone as it demonstrates one of the few cases how we as people can all agree on eradicating the use of the "r-word". While some such eradications do seem helpful, the majority do more harm than good. For example, in source A, Kakutani illustrates through her use of euphemisms how people say things such as "'the underhoused'" to refer to the homeless. This phrase creates the false sense of hope and improvement in society, when in actuality people are still suffering in the streets without homes.

The problem does not end with creating this euphemism, later on people will try to change this euphemism to almost a point where they undermine the problem making it seemingly non existent. This would essentially distract everyone from caring from the big picture, and rather activists would work on correcting unnecessary mistakes. Kakutani also promotes this point as she points to the drive of PC to change the name of Santa Claus and even Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address.

Taking both pros and cons into consideration, it is difficult to decide whether PC is truly good or bad. Rather to succeed in positive change we must find a middle ground to accomplish such a goal.

Running Away from Consumerism

When we happen to go to a famous and beautiful nature site, what's the first thing that comes to mind for the younger generation? Of course, the gift shop. We consumeristic human beings flock to get our hands on something concrete rather than take in the phenomenon that exits right outside. We fail to take in and appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, yet we succeed in buying a shirt or a hat or a nail clipper with a mediocre picture of that site on it. Our ignorance to such nature dwells from the craze for consumer goods.

The only memory I have from the first time I went to the CN Tower in Toronto was sitting in the gift shop whining because my parents wouldn't buy me some dumb toy. And obviously I would only use this toy for less than a week before it just ends up behind the couch and lost forever. I can't at all recollect the view of the skyline or the long elevator ride up to the top. The fact that even at such a young age the thought of purchasing useless consumer goods had already poisoned my mind goes to show how society slowly devalued the beautiful scenery around us.

In "Save the Whales, Screw the Shrimp", Williams makes a very similar point. She illustrates how we obsess over the "pizza and video shops" and maybe even a "bulimia treatment center". Her use of cataloging demonstrates the excessive nature of people to the point where they literally just throw up food contributing to the already growing food waste in the world. Williams makes the ignorance of people evident as she directly attacks these people with her use of rhetorical questions.

People need to start embracing the nature around them before it's "too late". As we grow our attention towards material goods, we are slowly leaving behind the beautiful world around. Soon all we might have are the shirts and hats and nail clippers with pictures of natural phenomenon that may cease to exist.

No Visible Finish Line

A Sikh was shot at in Seattle yesterday with the shooter yelling "get out of our country, go back to where you're from." This possible hate crime is yet another example of the inherent racism our society still faces. Similar to Staples piece, this man was profiled possibly for his religion and looks, unnecessarily associating him with terrorism. The man was minding his own business attending his car when the suspect confronted him. Staples was "suffering a bout of insomnia" when his "first victim" fled from his sights. In both cases Staples and the Sikh man were the true victims, yet Staples's irony mocks how people hold stereotypes. Staples fulfills society's view on him calling himself the oppressor when in reality he is the true victim in the scenario. People's inability to see past Staples' looks force him to the victim of prejudice and stereotypes.

Society forces people like Staples to change their own image rather than fixing their own flaw. For example, Staples begins to "whistle melodies" from classical songs to make him seem as if he is less dangerous and almost childish. This also relates to the grocery shop video we watched in first semester where the African American narrator had to resist from reinforcing stereotypes and just keep her mouth shut during the injustice.

However, for society to truly advance from this almost primitive like mindset, those with the flaws must be corrected rather than the victims. After being founded on total acceptance of others, the US continues to be far from achieving that belief.