I guess I could go on another rant about 'junk thought' in this blog as I did in the Pre-reading blog, but I'd really rather not. I was flipping through Jacoby's book and I noticed the title of chapter 10: "The Culture of Distraction" and so I thought I would entertain you all with a blog about my thoughts on distractions.
Ah, distractions. Some days I can not get farther away from distractions, especially as the summer nears. I already feel like I have checked out of this semester and my brain is on summer mode. I believe that electronics are one of the biggest distractions to just about everyone, unless you are one of those who refuses to keep up with the times in terms of technology. Top distractions for me: cell phone, Internet, television, food, and my aquarium. I definitely think that Internet is the new and most used distraction of all. With more and more students using computers and the Internet for homework assignments, websites like Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter tend to pull student's attention away from their homework (myself included).
I have also noticed the extreme obsessiveness of X-Box Live. I seriously know people who spend an obscene amount of hours everyday playing video games. I definitely think that video games are a very big distraction for people of all ages, young and old.
Do I think that these distractions are detrimental to people? My answer is a little complicated because I think that is completely dependent upon the individual. Personally, I get distracted all the time, but I can always pull myself back together and get the important things done, when they need to be done. I also don't allow distractions to stray me away from important things in life. There are many people in the world like me! However, there are also many people who cannot release the grip of distractions over their lives. They allow the unimportant things to impede on the important things and therefore, leave them behind and at a loss [e.g. procrastination (which we are all guilty of, but some can control)].
I am actually quite interested to see how Jacoby views distractions, so I guess I will find out, along with the rest of the class, when I get to chapter ten! Happy reading everyone! :)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Pre-Reading Blog #4
To me, 'junk thought' is pretty self-explanatory: useless/worthless thoughts. It also makes me think of all the trivial ideas and questions that travel through my head with no real intentions. I wouldn't say that thinking in general is worthless, but I do think that there are certain things that are not really worth thinking too much about. Then again, I also think that 'junk thought' is subjective because things are never equally important to everyone.
Death, to me, is one of the most pointless things to think about (obviously, making sure everything is in order is important). I just never understood people who spend their time wondering how or when they are going to die. Another thing that I believe is 'junk thought' is celebrity news. Ah, geez. I cannot stand that their are so many shows dedicated to following the lives of celebrities. Talk about a definite waste of brain space!
In terms of how 'junk thought' influence people, it's hard to say. Everyone looks at ideas differently and therefore, it all affects people in different ways. Many people can allow 'junk thought' to flow in and out of their brains without a second thought about it. Then there are the other people who, when 'junk thought' enters their brain, they can do nothing but think about the trivial information and ideas filling their minds.
Why do people waste their valuable brain capacities on ideas and questions that hold no true value?
Death, to me, is one of the most pointless things to think about (obviously, making sure everything is in order is important). I just never understood people who spend their time wondering how or when they are going to die. Another thing that I believe is 'junk thought' is celebrity news. Ah, geez. I cannot stand that their are so many shows dedicated to following the lives of celebrities. Talk about a definite waste of brain space!
In terms of how 'junk thought' influence people, it's hard to say. Everyone looks at ideas differently and therefore, it all affects people in different ways. Many people can allow 'junk thought' to flow in and out of their brains without a second thought about it. Then there are the other people who, when 'junk thought' enters their brain, they can do nothing but think about the trivial information and ideas filling their minds.
Why do people waste their valuable brain capacities on ideas and questions that hold no true value?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Critical Thinking Blog #3
Although I am still very young at the age of twenty, I can still see major differences in popular culture from when I was a child. When I was a child, I didn't really care about what was going on in the world, let alone even down my street, if it didn't have anything to directly affect me. My popular culture was to play outside, collect Pokemon cards, get the newest toys, and enjoy the simple things in life.
Now that I am older and have become more concerned about the world and how it affects everyone, directly and indirectly, my popular culture has completely changed. Education seems to have rebounded in its important, which I think has a lot to do with the current economic situation, along with technology's rapid advancements. Before President Barack Obama became a viable candidate for the Oval Office, many Americans (especially the youth), were deemed apathetic to politics. Now, however, we can see a new, seemingly rejuvenated youth involvement in politics. However, this makes me wonder if the youth is truly interested or merely excited for an "apparent" change in the looks of the White House, per se.
Proposition 8 is, I think, the biggest reminder of how popular culture has changed in the past decade. Who would have thought California's would be voting on whether or not homosexuals could marry or not? Especially when, even just a few years ago, being openly gay was still a taboo in some areas. Right down the street from my house, I saw protests for and against Proposition 8. I have never seen protests like that before and it definitely made me think of how much, even my little area of Fair Oaks, has changed. I never stood on the street corners of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard, but I openly spoke out against Proposition 8 and made it personal, even though I am not a homosexual. Popular culture is defined by how it influences everyone involved, whether it be directly or indirectly.
Now that I am older and have become more concerned about the world and how it affects everyone, directly and indirectly, my popular culture has completely changed. Education seems to have rebounded in its important, which I think has a lot to do with the current economic situation, along with technology's rapid advancements. Before President Barack Obama became a viable candidate for the Oval Office, many Americans (especially the youth), were deemed apathetic to politics. Now, however, we can see a new, seemingly rejuvenated youth involvement in politics. However, this makes me wonder if the youth is truly interested or merely excited for an "apparent" change in the looks of the White House, per se.
Proposition 8 is, I think, the biggest reminder of how popular culture has changed in the past decade. Who would have thought California's would be voting on whether or not homosexuals could marry or not? Especially when, even just a few years ago, being openly gay was still a taboo in some areas. Right down the street from my house, I saw protests for and against Proposition 8. I have never seen protests like that before and it definitely made me think of how much, even my little area of Fair Oaks, has changed. I never stood on the street corners of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard, but I openly spoke out against Proposition 8 and made it personal, even though I am not a homosexual. Popular culture is defined by how it influences everyone involved, whether it be directly or indirectly.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Pre-Reading Blog #3
Popular culture is merely a fad. Ideas, trends, etc. come and go like the days go by. Popular culture is all around and anyone can see the culture of a society easily by what people are wearing, what people are talking about, and on and on.
When I was younger, I was very much into the popular culture of American society. I wanted to have the most current style of clothing, hair, etc. I listened to the most popular music, and not necessarily because I liked it, but because everyone else was doing it. I do think that young teens, such as myself at the time, are very susceptible to outside influences in every aspect, especially popular ideas and trends.
Now, I am still at a very young twenty years old, but I have developed my own identity. I seriously went through an identity crisis for a few months, where I changed things about myself in hopes of finding the real me, outside of the popular culture. Now, instead of having light brown (dyed) hair, I have black hair. Instead of having long, straight hair, I have a short, Joan Jett inspired haircut. My taste in music has changed. Everyone loves Lil' Wayne and I cannot stand him. If I was still young and immature I would be in the crowd along with everyone else, loving the new Lil' Wayne songs, even if I didn't really like them. Now, I found my love for country and alternative, things that are definitely not as popular among African-Americans (which I am).
I do still have a popular culture influence in my life, but the difference is that I made it individual and specific to myself. I watch Lifetime movies, Tru Tv crime shows, The Real World, and my all time favorite, Desperate Housewives. I do not watch music videos or BET, like I would be expected to. I have my own sense of style. I mix punk-rock with prep, heels with loose clothes. I am making myself an individual, but still keeping popular culture in tact, just keeping it in tact my way.
Popular culture has been around forever because many people cannot find their own identity and therefore, find something common to identify with. Stereotypes were probably born out of popular culture, which can be based upon assumptions, founded and unfounded.
Why does society play the role of sheep, herding together so they don't stand out, rather than creating their own popular culture?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Critical Thinking Blog #2
Ah, the infamous debate between evolution and creation by intelligent design. Let's see, I am not a religious person, therefore I do not identify with any religion. In saying that, however, I do believe in something greater than the human race, but I do not believe in a "god-like" figure. Evolution is a beautiful, yet complicated process. I, myself, have my doubts sometimes in understanding how some animals evolved from water to land creatures. However, when plants, bones, etc. are found on different parts of the world without explanation, it is not too far-fetched to grasp that animals had to adapt to their changing habitats. The one thing that makes me a believer in evolution is that there is physical proof and evidence of organisms that multiply and evolve right before our eyes. Astronomers watch stars' births and deaths in space and form black holes or explode into red giants. This is evolution in itself; life in itself.
Creation by intelligent design sounds like a very simple answer to why things are the way they are. However, there is no proof that one person created everything. Who created that one person? Doesn't everything have a creator? I just find it beyond impossible to explain Earth's complicated being by magic, per se. If there was actual evidence to prove there was such a being who created everything we know and love, I would be more than happy to reevaluate my beliefs on how the universe, Earth, and life in general was created.
Honestly, I really do believe this argument is getting quite old and pointless. There will always be those who believe in pure evolution and that the world and everything on it adapts to changing environments. Also, there will always be those who believe in a higher being that created everything for a particular reason and that one's destiny is already written in stone. This debate never brings anything new to the table and therefore really needs to be retired as a debate topic. Whether the world and it's living beings were created by a higher being or by evolution over time really has little to no importance. Let's move on to things that actually matter and effect people's everyday lives.
Creation by intelligent design sounds like a very simple answer to why things are the way they are. However, there is no proof that one person created everything. Who created that one person? Doesn't everything have a creator? I just find it beyond impossible to explain Earth's complicated being by magic, per se. If there was actual evidence to prove there was such a being who created everything we know and love, I would be more than happy to reevaluate my beliefs on how the universe, Earth, and life in general was created.
Honestly, I really do believe this argument is getting quite old and pointless. There will always be those who believe in pure evolution and that the world and everything on it adapts to changing environments. Also, there will always be those who believe in a higher being that created everything for a particular reason and that one's destiny is already written in stone. This debate never brings anything new to the table and therefore really needs to be retired as a debate topic. Whether the world and it's living beings were created by a higher being or by evolution over time really has little to no importance. Let's move on to things that actually matter and effect people's everyday lives.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Pre-Reading Blog #2
When I think of the word "pseudoscience", I think of fake science. For example, when someone makes up a factor to fit their definition of something. According to Merriam-Webster, "pseudoscience" means: "a system of theories, assumptions, and methods erroneously regarded as scientific."
When I first read Jacoby's passages concerning evolution and creation, I was a little lost. But when I read it over again, I understood her as defining theories and why they are important in understanding what can be proven and what cannot. For example, evolution has scientific facts that can be proven, of course some more than others, but all-in-all, most scientific theories can be somewhat proven. Also, if a theory becomes definite, they are called laws. Example: theory of relativity versus the law of gravity.
Religion takes already drawn conclusions and backtracks to find evidence to support that conclusion. Science takes test results and facts and then draws conclusions from those. Jacoby talked about the movie March of the Penguins and I thought that was very important to bring up because it showed how emperor penguins reproduce, a method of evolution. Importantly, she noted that the movie avoided making evolution a major factor in the movie and the movie turned out to be very popular amongst everyone.
Why do people ignore factual information, that can be proven, and instead follow unfounded conclusions?
When I first read Jacoby's passages concerning evolution and creation, I was a little lost. But when I read it over again, I understood her as defining theories and why they are important in understanding what can be proven and what cannot. For example, evolution has scientific facts that can be proven, of course some more than others, but all-in-all, most scientific theories can be somewhat proven. Also, if a theory becomes definite, they are called laws. Example: theory of relativity versus the law of gravity.
Religion takes already drawn conclusions and backtracks to find evidence to support that conclusion. Science takes test results and facts and then draws conclusions from those. Jacoby talked about the movie March of the Penguins and I thought that was very important to bring up because it showed how emperor penguins reproduce, a method of evolution. Importantly, she noted that the movie avoided making evolution a major factor in the movie and the movie turned out to be very popular amongst everyone.
Why do people ignore factual information, that can be proven, and instead follow unfounded conclusions?
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Critical Thinking Blog #1
Part One:
I remember when I first began taking standardized tests in elementary school and just about everyone dreaded the words "critical thinking". When I think of critical thinking, I think of a selected reading or situation that provokes deep thought and analysis. I always enjoyed having a discussion about the reading or situation with my classmates rather than writing out my answers on a sheet of plain binder paper. Critical thinking works so much better when everyone can join in and add their points to the subject. Plus, it is so much more enjoyable to actually be able to hear other's opinions and thoughts rather than just my own.
When I was a senior at Bella Vista High School, I took a political science course. Inside that course, my class had the opportunity to work with the Sacramento Country Juvenile system and participate in Youth Court. Youth Court was where students could act as a jury, under a real judge and over a real case. The defendants and their families have agreed to a set of terms that the defendants would comply with the jury's decision on a sentence, per se. The defendants had already plead guilty, so all the jury was allowed to do was listen to testimony and hear evidence about the case, and to come to an appropriate sentence. Since I aspire to be a lawyer, naturally I jumped on the opportunity. I served on two juries and was the foreperson in one of the cases. I remember listening to the evidence and testimonies, then going back into the deliberation room to make a decision with my fellow jury members. It took a lot of critical thinking to make sure we paid due attention to all the important factors of the case so we could make an appropriate decision, in terms of a sentence.
Let's see...a time that I did not use critical thinking. I guess the first thing that comes to mind is actually a personal story. My parents have been divorced since I was about eight years old, but they always lived within fifteen minutes away from each other so my brother and I could always see both of them equally. However, when I was a freshman in high school, my mother decided that she wanted to move to Las Vegas and she wanted my brother and I to go with her. I did not give it much thought because I didn't want to move away from my home. I quickly made the decision to stay with my father in California. It ended up working out for the best in terms of my education and opportunities, but I do sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I did move to Las Vegas with my mother.
Part Two:
When I think of the word "intellectualism", I think of someone who uses their mind, in both moral and intelligent ways to make an informed decision. A lot more than just plain smarts go into making an informed decision. People use their beliefs, morals, and previous experiences to make decision, along with common sense (if it even exists). The word "intellectualism" has positive connotations for me because it describes using all forms of decision-making, and I think that is very important.
"Logic" is a word that I don't have an exact definition for. My first impulse of that word is "duh" because when I think of "logic", it usually means something that is obvious. For example, when someone gets dumped by their significant other, it's logical that he or she would be upset. Granted, not everyone gets upset over things like that, but it would not be unreasonable for someone to be upset. "Logic", to me, has both a positive and negative connotations because some people don't understand other people's logic, therefore disagreeing because they do not understand.
I really enjoy the word "reason" simply because it is so hard to define. "Reason" is definitely one of those words that every person has their own definition. Everyone uses "reason" to explain an event or decision that they want an answer to. I believe there is a reason for everything, even if I do not know of, let alone understand that reason. "Reason" has a positive connotation to me because it is the solid ground beneath why people do anything. If people believe their reason is correct, then they will always justify it, regardless of how others feel about their reasoning. "Reason" is completely objective.
By the way, I really like that quote, it's very true.
I remember when I first began taking standardized tests in elementary school and just about everyone dreaded the words "critical thinking". When I think of critical thinking, I think of a selected reading or situation that provokes deep thought and analysis. I always enjoyed having a discussion about the reading or situation with my classmates rather than writing out my answers on a sheet of plain binder paper. Critical thinking works so much better when everyone can join in and add their points to the subject. Plus, it is so much more enjoyable to actually be able to hear other's opinions and thoughts rather than just my own.
When I was a senior at Bella Vista High School, I took a political science course. Inside that course, my class had the opportunity to work with the Sacramento Country Juvenile system and participate in Youth Court. Youth Court was where students could act as a jury, under a real judge and over a real case. The defendants and their families have agreed to a set of terms that the defendants would comply with the jury's decision on a sentence, per se. The defendants had already plead guilty, so all the jury was allowed to do was listen to testimony and hear evidence about the case, and to come to an appropriate sentence. Since I aspire to be a lawyer, naturally I jumped on the opportunity. I served on two juries and was the foreperson in one of the cases. I remember listening to the evidence and testimonies, then going back into the deliberation room to make a decision with my fellow jury members. It took a lot of critical thinking to make sure we paid due attention to all the important factors of the case so we could make an appropriate decision, in terms of a sentence.
Let's see...a time that I did not use critical thinking. I guess the first thing that comes to mind is actually a personal story. My parents have been divorced since I was about eight years old, but they always lived within fifteen minutes away from each other so my brother and I could always see both of them equally. However, when I was a freshman in high school, my mother decided that she wanted to move to Las Vegas and she wanted my brother and I to go with her. I did not give it much thought because I didn't want to move away from my home. I quickly made the decision to stay with my father in California. It ended up working out for the best in terms of my education and opportunities, but I do sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I did move to Las Vegas with my mother.
Part Two:
When I think of the word "intellectualism", I think of someone who uses their mind, in both moral and intelligent ways to make an informed decision. A lot more than just plain smarts go into making an informed decision. People use their beliefs, morals, and previous experiences to make decision, along with common sense (if it even exists). The word "intellectualism" has positive connotations for me because it describes using all forms of decision-making, and I think that is very important.
"Logic" is a word that I don't have an exact definition for. My first impulse of that word is "duh" because when I think of "logic", it usually means something that is obvious. For example, when someone gets dumped by their significant other, it's logical that he or she would be upset. Granted, not everyone gets upset over things like that, but it would not be unreasonable for someone to be upset. "Logic", to me, has both a positive and negative connotations because some people don't understand other people's logic, therefore disagreeing because they do not understand.
I really enjoy the word "reason" simply because it is so hard to define. "Reason" is definitely one of those words that every person has their own definition. Everyone uses "reason" to explain an event or decision that they want an answer to. I believe there is a reason for everything, even if I do not know of, let alone understand that reason. "Reason" has a positive connotation to me because it is the solid ground beneath why people do anything. If people believe their reason is correct, then they will always justify it, regardless of how others feel about their reasoning. "Reason" is completely objective.
By the way, I really like that quote, it's very true.
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