After reading an article about how young Americans are saying that news media is dividing our country I though about what it means to be united. United State of America, 25 percent of the USA is a call out to how united we are. But are we? Are we a country where we all get along, and are all represented equally? No, and news media is not the cause of it. Let's jump back to America's inception. You know, when we murdered and raped just about everything in our path to claim a bit of land because of our radical religious ideas? This country was never united, we immediately oppressed a group of people because they were not like us. And this became a trend. Slavery, the oppression of African AMERICANS because of pigmentation. The only thing that was ever united in America was the white christian men. But even that split up during the civil war, literally dividing the nation into two. This of course continues with more equality problems like the women's right to vote, the black rights movement, and the gay rights movement. So now we arrive at the present, where the biggest split in most people's eyes is the conservative versus liberal debate. Everyone thinks they are right because they were raised to believe that they were right. Therefor the propagation of a separated nation is distilled into everyone mind because it is passed down from the generation before. There has never been a time in history where America was united, its very roots are seeped in the sin of man. The news media may promote one side over another, this is no different than a mother telling her son not to hang out with the boys down the street because "they are not like us." Stop blaming your ignorance on a TV channel and admit your faults.
0 Comments
The internet is no longer a foreign concept, we are now in a generation of internet natives that know nothing else than the present. The internet allows for people to have more of a voice than ever.We are able to spread ideas and ideologies at the swift press of a couple keys. I think that this scares big companies and their secretly collaborative policymakers. For years and years because of our limited communication these corporations and politicians have suppressed voices smiled and called it democracy. But is this the promise that we were given we were born? Freedom of speech? Of course we have it better than China and Russia, but we are not a nation built by comparison. Everyone is saying that Facebook and Google are "invading our privacy" and how they "don't have the right to do that." But let's be honest here, companies have been doing the same stuff for years it is just easier now. It is not just more direct and easier for them to do. It is now up to the citizens to make a decision. Now they cannot hide behind walls and steal our information, it is apparent what they are doing and it shouldn't be done. These companies know what they are doing is immoral but they do not care, they only care about the quick dollar. Through search engine history, text messages, videos watched, and a whole lot more; these companies know us better than ourselves. So if we try to combat this is it tearing down democracy? Or building up what democracy should be?
COVID-19 has put the world into a very interesting position, a position that no one has ever experienced before. Old and young are trying to figure out what precautions to take, what food to buy, and more importantly updates about the virus and what is to come.
Now it is no surprise that there is fake news in the media. The major media studios need money to function and they will milk a story until its dry as long as it provides them with some quality content. And the virus just happens to be on e of the juiciest stories of the decade. Not only because of impact on our daily lives, but the relate ability on an international basis. So lets start with the smaller cases and work up. Text messages being sent from one person to another seems pretty harmless, but one person can screenshot it and post it online where it spreads like wildfire. The person sending the news about a new lock down happening soon or maybe advice on how to treat the symptoms of the virus probably believes it is true. An individual will not maliciously put their friends or family into a panic because it will make them money. The sender believes what is being said is true, and the false information was probably started by a bigger company or a person seeking to make a quick buck. Now we can talk about people trying to make money off of fake cures and ways to treat symptoms. In my opinion this is the worst thing you can do, I think it is worse than fake news. The people creating this cure like Alex Jones and Jim Bakker KNOW that this is fake. But they have cultivated a large group of dedicated followers that will do anything they say. No amount of toothpaste or essential oils will protect you from this virus. These people are praying on their scared and vulnerable followers to make money, their gluttony is unmatched and deserve some punishment. Fake news stories by news stations big or small is unacceptable. Integrity is one of the core elements of being a journalist, but that usually takes the backseat when the capability of making money is in the foreground. This is just a microcosm of what journalism looks like today. Fact checking is not as necessary as it should be, and that's sad. Just like Alex Jones and Jim Bakker, these stations have attracted a large following and trust them as their source of news. And rightfully so, they are a NEWS source which should provide REAL NEWS, but that just isn't the case anymore. Now onto the big man him self, Donald John Trump. It is no surprise that Trump is using large false claims to make the public feel better. He is well known for taking things and blowing them up with his vernacular to make them seem a lot better or a lot worse depending on the subject. I am not to fond of Trump, but I don't really think this one is his fault. He is just the person delivering whatever his team says. His speech writers, doctors, and whole administration are giving him false information and so he will relay that to the American people. Does he have the power to make sure it is all correct? Yeah sure. Does he have the time to go through all of his speeches and make sure everything is 100% right? No that is why he hired a "trustworthy" staff to do so. Being single is the easiest it has ever been nowadays.
You no longer have to go to a bar and strike a conversation with your sexual preference and maybe take them on a date or maybe take them home for one night. Dating apps have revolutionized how we interact in a romantic sense. Being a newly single male and living in the biggest college town in Arkansas has proven to indeed be pretty easy. When I re -downloaded tinder (yes re-downloaded), I knew what I was getting into. I have met my past two girlfriends on tinder and they both went well (until they didn't). But that is irrelevant I was a new man and I wanted to see what the app was capable of. So I set up my tinder with my best photos from photo shoots, when I was in a couple fashion shows and some funny one to show my character. My bio was simple but witty and I was proud of it. Then I started swiping left and right. I like her eyes. Right. I wanna pet her dog. Right. She's taller than me?! Left. After a week of intensive swiping I began to realize what Tinder was really capable of. It gave me and ANYBODY who uses it the opportunity to play god. I mean you create an idolized version of yourself. Your best photos and your funniest pickup line. This is in no way the true version of you but hey as long as you get a match, who really cares? But then you get to swiping. Left and right and left and right. Ultimately deciding who is worthy of you literally with the flick of your finger. And if you happen to match, you can talk to them and figure out if you want to continue on. You can simply remove them if you don't like how they use "your" instead of "you're". But is this moral? That is up to you reader to figure out. Do you like hooking up with someone because of how they look and the short conversation you had? Are they worthy of your time? Does your tinder profile really show off who you are? People love pretending to be something they are not because it is convenient and relieves stress. But once you delete the app, who are you? Yourself. The other day I looked in the mirror in disgust because once again my hair had gotten too long.
I always wait for the last second to cut my hair and today was no exception. I immediately booked an appointment at my usual salon where they do cheap and very nice haircuts. I had a new hairdresser today because of my procrastination but I trusted the business and knew my haircut was pretty stock. Basically every white guy has it. This woman greeted me with a smile and handshake. I saw down and we started talking about everything. Movies, my life, her life and all sorts of stuff. Turning strangers into acquaintances is such a good feeling. But then she said the words, "that man was as happy as a pig in mud." And i thought to myself about how funny that is. Now southern sayings like this aren't by any means common but I hear one every 2-3 months and I love it. It is so charming and pure to hear sayings like these. Just funny little phrases passed down probably from parents or grandparents. It's the little things like that, that brighten my day. When I was a sophomore in college I was in a weird state of mind. I wanted to explore and try new things but I was confined by my full time student and part time work schedule. I wanted to go out and do something, but I just did not have the time.
One day me and my roommate were playing madden in my dorm (I don't enjoy sports usually but I love playing sports video games.) We were joking as we usually do when he mentioned an amateur boxing match coming up. It was called Toughman and it was for anyone and everyone. I laughed at the thought of me fighting a big redneck for fun. Then he mentioned how there are weight classes and even a cash prize. Okay, you sparked my interest. I jokingly said I would do it, we both laughed as he probably scored another touchdown on me. "You would probably do well if we started training." I let this questions marinate for a little, until I agreed I would do it. I mean this stepping way out of my comfort zone, I had never threw a punch or been hit by one either. I knew my mom was not going to be happy though. We decided to start training during Christmas break and the fight was set for March. That gave us roughly three months to turn me from zero to hero. I bought my mouthguard and drove over to his home gym to start training. Luckily he had a spare size 10.5 boxing shoe for me. I laced them up and we began working. At first we really focused on technique of my feet and shape so that I could move efficiently but effectively. I was very bad at this, my punches were weak and I would stumble all over myself. I looked like I didn't know what I was doing, because I didn't. After about a month and a half we got to sparring. My roommate went light on me, occasionally going all in to scare me. Landing a punch on my head knowing me around. Often times I bled from my mouth or nose, and it hurt. It hurt really bad. Sometimes I would even cry because it hurt so bad. Behind teary eyes I would throw punches, knowing that if I gave up it would be in the end. I could not stop in the ring, or else it would be over. Finally it was the week up to the fight. I was faster, stronger, and braver than I had ever been before. Of course I was an anxious mess, although my muscles could take a hit my brain could not. I could not sleep the night before and my stomach was churning all day. Finally it was time for the fight. I was the first one of the night and I was very nervous. They announced my name and I went in the ring. The next 10 minutes are kind of a blur. All I remember is pure adrenaline and anger. Which led me to win. I could hear my mom the whole time screaming my name. She had to have three shots of fireball to be able to watch it, she hated what I was doing. After the fight, I felt good. Until the adrenaline wore off. I started to feel dizzy and I stopped sweating. Right when I was about to pass out, I called my roommate. He came to my aid and soon I was hooked up to 2 IVS. The pumped cold fluid into my veins till my vision was no longer black. I was so nervous I neglected to drink water. This led to me being disqualified from the competition and my boxing career to always be 1-0-0, undefeated. So what did I learn? Drink water all the time. Also, the body will give up on you way after your mind. Your body is a tough structure and will take and give punches until it can't anymore. But the brain will go very quickly if you let it. I learned to defend myself. I was always small and picked on and was always afraid of getting into a fight. I feel that now I can handle myself and anyone that I am responsible for. Did it hurt? Oh yeah it did. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." -Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Passion is a wonderful thing. It is a driving force for dreams and is usually the reasons they become reality. Passion is created when hours are put in and you become intermingled with whatever your passion is. When something becomes a part of you whether it be an activity, a relationship, really anything. It becomes part of your social identity. Which eventually may lead to it being a part of how you view yourself. For example, my passion is snare drumming. I love putting on a drum and performing for thousands of people. I picked up drums in 7th grade and I have not really stopped since. So 7 years of constants drumming, I would say I have put in a good 1000-5000 of practice with the drums. And it became apart of me, I was the "drummer" and I liked that. When I started auditioning for bigger groups, it became apparent that I was not as good as I previously thought. I was cut from groups for 4 years and it hurt. It made me feel hollow and not good enough. But I knew the end goal and I pushed until I finally made one. I was able to do it for two years and I loved it. But then came this year, my final year. You can only do Drum Corp until the age of 21, so this year mattered a lot. I tried out at a high placing group, and did not make it. I tried for another, and also did not make it. So here I am. Once again, alone and feeling invaluable. But why is that? Why do I feel so terrible? My passion has begun to destroy me. It felt like the hours I have clocked in were for nothing, that I was nothing. I connected my self worth to my ability to tap drum sticks on a drum head. It sound silly, but it is the truth. My identity was the drummer and I now knew that I would never live up to the expectations others had for me. But then I sat down and thought about these feelings. Tried to find some lesson out of it. The inner dialog hurt me, but I knew it was not unique to me. Plenty of people have felt this way before and have made it through. This is what I came up with. A toxic relationship whether it be a person, an activity, or some object is not who you are. You are more than what others see you as. Often times, you are worth more than you think you are capable of. If you constantly compare your skills to others, you will always be dissatisfied. I hate to say it, but someone will always be better than you. It sucks. But you can only be the best you. SUPER CORNY? Ya. SUPER TRUE? Also ya. Passion is great as long as it does not tear down the others parts of you. Destructive passion is like a fungus, spreading to other parts. If you are not careful, it can take over. I wouldn't consider myself wise or really even knowledgeable about a lot of things. I would say I have lived lot of life and learned a lot in my short 20 years.
I was born in El Paso, Texas where I stayed there for 12 years. Growing up in a predominately Hispanic culture immersed me with experiences that a lot of people don't have. Sure some people called me "white boy" and "gringo," but I did not understand the social implications of the words. Moving to Arkansas changed a lot in my mind and how I view others, but I still try to stay in touch with my El Paso friends and family. Moving to Arkansas was in no way my first choice. I would visit there every other summer because my moms family lived there, and that was great. I thought my mom hated me and just wanted to rip me away from my friends. It was not till I was a senior in high school that I really realized the reason. When I was 18 months old, my father went on a business trip and never came back. He was killed in a drunken accident that left my mom a widow alone with 2 children. This experience dramatically changed how I have grown up and how I view myself. Moving into Arkansas at such a transitional age was pretty tough. I had no friends and suddenly was forced into a completely different world. I persevered and found my love of drums when the school year started. This one little decision threw me into an activity that would play a major role in shaping who I am. In high school band was my life. My high school was among the top 100 marching bands in America, so we practiced 4 days a week for about 3 hours a day. After practice I would go home, eat, do my homework, then I would start practicing again. Eventually I was able to become section leader and lead the drumline into it's 8th consecutive year of winning state. When college started I knew what I wanted to do, make documentaries. I knew I loved film but I was very unsure about journalism. After some consideration I started my journalism classes, and loved it. I knew I was happy and content with my choice. During the summers I would compete in Drum Corp International, a non-profit competitive marching society basically. I spend my whole summer traveling around America playing shows and competing against other groups. This activity was strenuous, sometimes practicing 12 hours day in 114 degree weather. This activity advanced my work ethic and pushed my body to things I thought I could never do. Now I am focusing full time on my career and boy am I nervous about it. I know I can and will be successful in my field, it all depends on if people can see my drive and hunger for storytelling. So tell me. Can you see it? |
AuthorMy opinions and experiences written on a public forum. ArchivesCategories |